Staying With Me
by CryInSorrow
Summary: Jason and Dick stakeout a child trafficking ring, only to find out that Lex Luthor has been kidnapping children for genetic experiments. They also making a shocking discovery, concerning Jason's past, namely the five years he'd been gone. M x M/JayDick - Don't like it, don't read it. [Sequel] - The Red Hood - Part of "Arkham's Red Hood" series on Ao3
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Two months now. It had been two months since Jason had recovered from being nearly blown to bits. And yet here he was, out on patrol again as the Red Hood. Dick and Bruce had tried to convince him to give it more time, but he simply wouldn't listen.

Of course, a lot had happened in those two months; like Jason getting attacked by Bruce's demon spawn for instance. That's right, Bruce Wayne had a child with Talia. Go figure. Damian Wayne was, in Jason's words, a demon child, spawn from the ninth circle of hell itself. To say they didn't get along very well, was an understatement.

And he and Tim got along a lot less than he and Jason did; the little hellspawn tried to kill Tim to become Robin. Tim still held a grudge about that (Jason probably would have too), but Tim was off in Jump City now, leading his own team, the Teen Titans. So that meant Damian got his wish after all. Unfortunately, whenever Tim came by, the manor became...well, tense didn't quite cover it. You could practically _see_ the sparks flying between those two.

And in that time, The Red Hood had tracked a child trafficking ring from Gotham to Bludhaven, so he alerted Nightwing and the two of them decided to take it on, together. Nightwing had actually been watching the warehouse for a good month or two, gathering information, trying to deduce the nature of the operations there, their numbers, how well armed they were, etcetera, before making a move. Once Jason showed up and shared the information he had, it was all he needed. And so here they were, watching as some rather heavily armed men brought in another 'shipment', perched on top of a building across the way from the warehouse.

"I'm going to smear their blood all over the walls," Red Hood growled menacingly. Nightwing glanced over at Red Hood a little nervously. He patted his back, then gave his shoulder a squeeze.

"You didn't load your guns with live ammo, did you?" he asked with a slight smirk. Red Hood snorted, eyes still fixed on the scum bags below.

"Maybe I did. It'd be no less than this trash deserves." Nightwing leaned forward a bit to look Red Hood directly in the face.

"No killing, okay?" Nightwing asked. When the man didn't answer, he pressed again " _okay?"_ Red Hood glanced over at him but still did not answer. Nightwing sighed in annoyance.

"You focus on freeing the children. Let me handle the dirt bags, okay? Promise me _that_ much."

"Fine. But do me a favor," Red Hood asked, glancing back at Nightwing. Nightwing flashed a smile.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Make it hurt," Red Hood replied, swinging off the building via grappling hook before he got an answer. Nightwing chuckled in amusement before following suit. Sticking to the shadows, he watched and waited patiently for opportunity to come knocking, before disabling the men, one by one, and hiding them away so as not to alert anyone, before finally sneaking inside the building. There were guards posted all over the place, heavily armed with fully automatic assault rifles. This was going to get ugly no matter which way he cut it.

"Well, here goes nothing," Nightwing said with a shrug of his shoulders. He drug through his utility belt and dropped a handful of smoke grenades onto the men below. As soon as they exploded, he dropped down, raining a series of strikes on the men with his escrima sticks, before dancing back into the shadows, unseen, before reinforcements could arrive.

"What the fuck?!" one man shouted, searching the area frantically.

"Someone's here!"

"Show yourself!"

Nightwing grinned from the shadows and this time threw a flashbang and repeated the process. However, more came around the corner and caught him in the act. He simply grinned.

Red Hood watched the patrols around the building carefully before sneaking in through one of the back entrances. Once he'd slipped inside, he searched for any signs of the children, careful to avoid detection. Stealth wasn't usually his style, but there were children here and he didn't want to risk putting them in danger.

He found a stairwell that led down into a basement level, which, when he saw it, was sickening. Children were locked in cages, some of them looking either sick or starving. But that wasn't even the worst of it; it was a laboratory. This wasn't your typical child trafficking ring. He wasn't sure what it was, but he was going to get answers, and punish the bastards for this shit.

He snuck through the lab, shushing the children as he looked for someone, anyone, he could torture for answers. He heard a baby crying and headed toward its source. He rounded a corner and saw a scientists standing over an infant with a needle.

"Alright then, let's begin," the man said to himself, raising the needle in hand. Red Hood pulled a gun on him and the man raised his hands when he heard the click of the gun.

"Put that needle down, or I'll blow your brains out all over the fucking wall," the Red Hood said darkly. He heard someone approaching from behind and quickly spun around to see three other scientists approaching him with guns of their own. With three quick shots of his other hand gun, he kneecapped them all. They cried out in pain, and he quickly turned his attention back to the man hovering over the baby.

"Let me go, or I'll snap his neck," the scientist said with a sick grin. _Oh, now, he's fucking dead._ Red Hood didn't hesitate; he pulled the trigger and knee-capped him first, getting him away from the infant. The man fell to the floor, howling in pain, and then he pulled the trigger again and blew the doctor's brains out all over the floor.

The infant began to cry again and Red Hood approached, holstering his guns, ignoring the men behind him, bleeding out on the floor. He pulled his helmet off and placed it on the table, sighing in relief as the cool air brushed against his sweat slicked skin. The infant, a baby boy, had blue eyes and black hair, tufts sticking out at odd angles, and looked up at him, his crying lessened a little. The child couldn't be older than six or seven months. As far as he could tell, this was the only infant in the entire compound.

He looked up to the ceiling above, the sounds of gunfire and combat echoing above him. He grinned, knowing that Nightwing had gotten to work. He turned his attention back to the infant, wondering what in god's green earth they could need him for. Especially considering he was the only one in the compound. He then turned back to the doctor's bleeding out on the floor; one of them was still conscious. So he strode over to him and fisted his hair, shoving him against the wall.

"Tell me what's going on here, now. You do, and I'll bind that wound and let you live," Red Hood said harshly, drawing a gun and pointing it toward the dead doctor "you don't and you'll end up like your friend over there." The man gulped and Red Hood pressed the barrel against his jaw.

"Okay, okay! I'll talk!" the man said frantically. He swallowed and Red Hood waited, and when the man spoke again he said "we-we were hired by Lex Luthor! H-his mercenaries pick up stray children, runaways, homeless kids, s-sometimes kidnap them-"

"What for?!" Red Hood interrupted sharply. The man yelped in fear and continued slowly.

"G-genetic experiment. W-we separate the children by g-genetic potential! A-and then we run...experiments."

"What kind of experiments?!" Red Hood snarled, but his interrogating was interrupted by the sound of another person approaching. He spun around and saw Nightwing behind him.

"What the fuck?" he asked, staring around the room in a mix of shock and anger; not at the wounded scientists, it didn't look like he could care about them, but at the children.

"Please, I don't know anything else!" the man pleaded. Red Hood snarled and smacked him in the head with the butt of his gun, knocking him out. He pushed himself up onto his feet and stalked past Nightwing and began unlocking cages.

"There's an infant over there. Need your hacking skills on the computer nearby, maybe get some answers," Red Hood said evenly. Nightwing glanced back at Red Hood before moving toward the infant. He looked down at the little boy, who cooed when he saw him. Nightwing smiled at the kid before moving toward the nearby computer and began hacking into the database.

Red Hood had the children wait nearby; he wasn't going to take chances and let them wander off on their own. Instead, he moved to Nightwing's side; he wanted answers.

"The only infant in the entire compound. It's like the singled him out. Why?" Red Hood asked. Nightwing held up a finger, silencing him as he continued hacking in.

"I'm in. This operation is run by Lex, big surprise. Running his sick genetic experiments again. There's not really a lot here to tie him to the operation, beyond mentions of his name and his company. All circumstantial evidence. The only solid evidence here makes it seem as if this operation is a rogue element of Lex Corp," Nightwing explained. Red Hood snorted.

"Typical."

Nightwing continued clacking away at the keyboard, digging further into the system before it began crashing.

"Shit! We're losing everything! IT must be some kind of termination protocol!" Nightwing hissed, trying to recover some of the data on a USB. He cursed when the computer finally died and slid the USB into a compartment on his gauntlets.

"Dammit. I got some, but I don't know what we have. Couldn't find anything on the infant," Nightwing said, flashing Red Hood an apologetic smile. The man sighed, raking a hand through his hair before donning his helmet again.

"Wait, what's this?" Nightwing asked, kneeling down beside the counter. He lifted up a folder, hidden partially underneath the counter and flipped it open.

"Hmm. Looks like a profile on the chi-" Nightwing paused, eyes widening.

"What? What is it?!" Red Hood demanded to know. Nightwing looked up at him and opened his mouth, before closing it again.

"This kid, is Talia al Ghul's son," Nightwing finished. The Red Hood quickly pulled off his helmet with a look of shock on his face, the two of them glancing back down at the infant, little legs kicking, giggled happily.

"He's Talia's child?!" he asked incredulously.

"Yes he is," came a voice behind them. Red Hood and Nightwing spun on the spot, watching as Talia approached, eyeing the scared children as she passed them.

"You should take those children out of here and get them to safety," Talia said casually, coming to a stop before the two men. She smirked and a little and said "hello Jason. Dick," she said to each of them in turn. Both Jason and Dick scowled, turning back to the children, who, thankfully, were out of earshot.

"Just blurt it out why don't you," Jason snapped.

"I was hoping to get here before you, but it seems I was a bit too slow," she said with a frown, pushing past the two men and gently picking up the child "Lex's thugs got the drop on me, kidnapped the poor child. Probably figured the child of a League Assassin would make a perfect super soldier with the proper genetic modifications."

"What's his name?" Dick asked, looking over her shoulder. Talia turned to Jason then and pushed the child into his arms. Jason spluttered, cradling the child in his arms.

"W-what-"

"His name is Kaden," Talia said coolly, crossing her arms over her chest "Kaden Todd." Both Dick and Jason flinched at the name, exchanging glances.

"Kaden What?!" They both shrieked in unison. The infant started to cry when they yelled, and Jason looked down at the child, then desperately to Dick. He started to rock the child gently, making soft 'ssh' sounds, trying to calm him.

"Wait, are you saying-"

"That he's Jason's son? I am."

"But then that would mean you and he-"

"We did."

"I...you...he...what?" Dick asked, completely confused. Jason's face was painted pink and Dick glared at him.

"Explain. Now," he demanded. Talia just sat back and watched them both with amusement. Jason sputtered a bit, trying to find the right words.

"Er...Talia and I...that is...we kinda...had revenge sex about a year ago?" Jason admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. Dick looked at him incredulously.

"You had _revenge sex_ with Talia?! What to get back at-"

"Ssssh," Jason hissed, pointing toward the children. Dick looked at them, then back to Jason and glared at him.

"You suck. We're not done with this yet, you asshole," Dick snapped, the two of them turning on Talia now.

"Wait, you had my kid and you didn't even tell me?! Why?!" Jason demanded to know. Talia smirked a bit and shrugged her shoulders.

"Woman's prerogative," she replied. Jason was about to speak again, but she cut him off "the kid was an accident. As for why I didn't tell you, that's my business.. She turned and left, Jason calling after her, but the woman completely ignored him.

"Come on, let's take care of these children and deal with this" Dick began, looking at the now sleeping infant in Jason's arms "later."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Okee dokee just a little note, you'll probably find some similarities to the story "Heroes Don't Change Diapers" (which I'd recommend reading btw, great story 3 ) but I swear, I started writing this one before I ever knew of that one's existence. x) Please forgive the similarities, this story is completely my own idea. Something I'd started developing in my mind about a week ago ~_~ I've got 7 Chapters written so far, but I'm busy, so I'll only be posting 1 or 2 a day. Anywho, Enjoy! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Jason argued, but Dick wouldn't hear it; Jason and the baby were staying at his apartment tonight. So while those two went back to the apartment, Dick went shopping (thank god for 24 hour pharmacies) for some diapers, a bottle, some baby toys, among other things before heading home to the apartment.

The first thing they really needed to discuss was what they were going to do with the boy. He didn't want to suggest it because he was Jason's son, but maybe it would be best to put him up for adoption; there was no way Jason could take care of a baby. And Talia had just taken off and it was always ridiculously hard to track her down. Besides that, it didn't seem like she wanted him (cold-hearted bitch) because she referred to him as an 'accident'. Not to forget to mention that, oh yeah, she _took off._

Dick sighed as he dragged the bags up the stairs to his apartment, digging in his pocket for the keys. He turned the lock and kicked open the door, carefully, and made his way inside, closing the door with his foot. He made for the kitchen, placing the bags down before turning to the living room. And the sight he saw there, was easily the most adorable thing he'd ever seen in his entire life.

Jason was lying on the couch, one leg and arm dangling over the edge. The baby lay on his stomach, tucked beneath Jason's other arm, head tucked underneath the man's chin, the both of them sleeping soundly. Dick snickered at the sight, his first thought being 'aawww' and his second thought being 'jackpot' as he dug his phone out of his pocket and took a picture of the sight before him, making sure to turn the flash off so as not to wake them up.

But it got even juicier, and it was fortunate Dick decided to record a little bit of it, because moments later, Kaden started to whine and fuss a little and, still asleep, Jason shifted, absently tugging the infant closer to his chest and the child relaxed again, licking his little lips.

"Oh, this is going to make excellent blackmail," Dick said with a mischievous grin, tucking the phone into his pocket and retreating to his bedroom.

* * *

Dick woke the next morning to a loud, happy squealing sound and pushed himself up into a sitting position. He glanced out the window, the sunlight just piercing through the shades, signifying the first rays of dawn. With a yawn and a sigh, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and slid out of bed, running his hand over his bare shoulder, then digging through his dresser for a pair of jeans, tugging them on.

He made his way out of the room and was once again, met with another painfully adorable sight. Jason was sitting on the floor, cup of coffee off to his right, playing with some blocks Dick had bought last night for the baby, setting them up and then letting Kaden knock them over, and every time he did, he squealed happily, clapping his hands and looking up at his father, waiting for him to set them back up again to repeat the game all over again.

"I see your morning is off to a good start," Dick mused, slipping past the pair of them and into the kitchen to get some coffee. Jason glared up at Dick, a glare that could probably kill even superman.

"This little 'bundle of joy' woke my ass-"

"Butt" Dick corrected. Jason flipped him off and continued.

"He woke me up at four in the morning, screaming his head off! It took me an hour to figure out he was hungry! What kid is hungry at four in the morning?!" Jason asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. Little Kaden babbled at Jason with the most adorable little frown when he took to long to set the blocks back up. Jason frowned at the infant and said "hey, hey, no need to get snippy, kid. Patience!" He set the blocks back up and Dick snorted.

" _You_ telling someone _else_ to be patient? That's a laugh!" Dick teased, earning another middle finger from Jason. Kaden chortled again as he knocked over the blocks again. Dick sat down on the couch behind Jason, sipping his coffee, Jason setting up the blocks again for Kaden to knock over. But he seemed to be done with that. Kaden crawled over to Jason's boosts by the door and grabbed one of them, trying to put it on. Jason snorted with laughter at the sight and Dick slapped his shoulder playfully.

"Better look out Jay, he'll be replacing you by the time he's six," Dick teased. Jason snorted.

"God I hope not," he replied, glancing at Dick out of the corner of his eye. The two of them watched baby Kaden carefully as the kid crawled back and forth across to the room, playing with whatever caught his attention, at least until he started crying again.

Dick jumped up first this time and grabbed the infant up in his arms, with Jason hovering over his shoulder.

"Ah, I see the problem. Or rather, smell it," Dick said, making a disgusted face. Jason could smell it too and it didn't take a genius to figure out the problem.

"Get me a diaper, would you?" Dick said, glancing over his shoulder at Jason as he gently laid the baby down on the couch. Jason moved toward the kitchen and dug through the bags for a diaper, tossing it to Dick.

"Baby wipes and baby powder too," he called over his shoulder, tossing the dirty diaper into the trash from where he was in the living room. Jason returned to Dick's side, handing him the aforementioned items.

"How'd you learn to take care of a kid?" Jason asked, quirking an eyebrow as he watched Dick re-diaper Kaden. The infant started kicking his little legs, laughing, and Dick picked him up and blew raspberry's on his stomach, the kids shrill laughter growing as his little hands grabbed tufts of Dick's hair. Jason just watched amusedly, amazed at how good Dick was with kids.

"Easy," he began, tossing Kaden in the air a few times "I've babysat for Roy a bunch of times. Lian's surprisingly well behaved for a two year old." Dick placed the child on the floor and gestured for Jason to sit down beside him on the couch. The two of them sat down and Dick sighed deeply before glancing over at Jason.

"Look, Jay, what I'm going to suggest...it's not easy. But I think you should consider-"

"No," Jason said immediately, getting up off the couch. Dick frowned.

"You haven't even heard what I'm going to say yet!" He protested. Jason snorted and sat down in front of Kaden. The infant giggled and reached for the man and Jason smiled at the boy, grabbing his tiny hand in his.

"I know what you're going to say, and the answer is no. I'm not giving him up or adoption. He's my kid, so I'm going to take care of him," Jason replied without looking up at Dick.

"He's my son, I'm _not_ just going to abandon him. I'm _not_ going to be _my_ father," Jason said firmly, turning to look Dick dead in the eyes.

"I've made up my mind. I'm keeping him. You can't change my mind."

"How are you even going to take care of him?! You don't have a job, and your vigilante life...well, let's face it, it's dangerous as hell!" Dick argued, getting to his feet. Kaden looked up at the two of them, lip quivering, frightened by the sudden outburst, and he started to cry. Dick cursed under his breath and knelt down in front of the boy, picking him up and rocking him gently.

"We're sorry baby, don't cry," he crooned. Jason sighed angrily; he couldn't believe Dick would suggest adopting his son out! What the fuck?!

"Look, Jay, maybe we should at least drop by the manor and see what Alfred and Bruce think?" Dick asked, turning his attention over at Jason when Kaden stopped crying. Jason raked his hands through his hair and paced through the room a little bit.

"No. No, they're going to suggest the same thing. There's absolutely no point!" Jason snapped back. Dick shushed him, so as to keep Kaden from getting scared again.

"There _is_ a point! Don't you think they deserve to meet him? I mean, Bruce raised you so he's practically Kaden's grandfather-"

"Technically, Alfred raised me," Jason pointed out. Dick shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay, I'll give you that. He raised all of us, Bruce included, but you know what I mean. And he _is_ Damian's half-brother," Dick pointed out. Jason stood there, wide-eyed, then scrubbed his face with his hands.

"Fuck! That means that little hellspawn is my...no! Not even going to go there!"

"Step-son?" Dick teased. Jason shot him a murderous glare.

"Don't even. I'll kick your ass out the fucking window." Dick laughed in amusement.

"Hey cool it with the language around the baby, would ya? Don't want his first word being...well, anything from _your_ vocabulary. Right Kaden?" Dick asked with a smile. Kaden giggled, playfully smacking at Dick's face with a chubby fist as he started babbling at him.

"Pfft, I could use hand gestures instead if you'd prefer," Jason retored with a sly smirk, flipping the older man off.

"Real mature, Jaybird," Dick teased, sticking out his tonuge. Jason sighed and took Kaden from Dick's arms and laid him on the couch, grabbing some clothes off of the coffee table and started dressing him in a pair of little jeans and-

"A superman t-shirt? Really? You're such a fucking nerd," Jason teased, pulling the shirt on over Kaden's head. Dick snickered and slapped him upside the head.

"You're just jealous of my style." Jason made a mock gagging noise.

"Go choke you ass," Dick said with a laugh. Jason grinned at him.

"Language, Dickie-bird," he mocked the older man from earlier.

"God, you're such a brat!"

* * *

Dick drove them all down to Gotham, Jason riding in the passenger's seat with Kaden sitting in his lap. They weren't able to get a car seat last night since everything was closed, and, go figure, the pharmacy didn't have one. They stopped at the story an grabbed one, putting it in the back before they headed to Gotham however. Fortunately, Kaden slept for the whole thirty minute drive, and the extra ten it took to get to the manor.

By this point, Jason seemed somewhat nervous as they pulled u to the manor, leg bouncing, fingers tapping on his knee.

"Relax, would you? It;s not like he's going to-"

"Batarang my face?" Jason asked, quirking an eyebrow. Dick laughed in amusement and leaned over to press a kiss on Jason's jaw. The two of them turned when they heard Kaden giggle.

"Oh, you like it when Dickie kisses momma," Dick teased.

"You ever call me that again, I'll plant your face through the windshield," Jason growled, a hint of tease in his tone. Dick laughed and stuck his tongue out at him. They hopped out of the car and Jason retrieved Kaden from the back seat before them made for the manor. Alfred had apparently seen them coming before the door opened and the butler was standing there waiting patiently.

"Good morning Master Dick, Master Jason. And who is this?" Alfred asked, bowing down toward the baby and patting his head. Kaden stared at him almost in awe but when the man patted his head, he giggled and reached for his mustache. Alfred chuckled in amusement, pulling back at the last second.

"His name's Kaden. We'll explain shortly. I'd rather only do it once," Jason answered. Alfred gave a curt nod and gestured for them to follow him inside. Jason felt increasingly nervous as they drew closer to Bruce's study. It wasn't so much because he'd slept with Talia (especially knowing Bruce had feelings for the woman) as it was apprehension that he might suggest the same thing Dick had. Or...and he knew Bruce would _never_ do this to him, that the man might use his substantial influence to take Kaden away from him.

It seemed odd that he was so attached to the boy despite only having literally met him only hours ago, but...Kaden was his kid! And honestly, he kinda liked the idea of being a dad, not that he'd ever say that out loud. Though once he expressed his interest in keeping him, that probably wouldn't matter anyway.

"Master Bruce, Master Jason and Master Dick are here to see you, and they have a-" Alfred glanced back at little Kaden, who was playing with a strap on Jason's jacket "surprise for you."

"Come in," Bruce called through the door. Alfred pushed the door in and Jason and Dick made their way inside. Kaden's sudden shrieking laughter must've caught his attention because he immediately looked up from his work.

"What's going on? Whose that?" Bruce asked. Jason sighed deeply. This was going to be awkward.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

As predicted, the explanation of where Kaden had come from was quite awkward. Jason explained the mission, the ties to Lex Luthor, which they couldn't prove in a court of law, how they found Kaden, and then what they learned of the boy's...origins. If Bruce was pissed, jealous, angry, or anything else of the nature, about learning that Jason had slept with Talia, he never said so, but neither Jason or Dick missed the rather...perturbed look on the man's face at the mention of it. All the while, Alfred took Kaden out of the room to watch after him while they talked.

"So, let me get this straight," Bruce began, fingers tapping against the desk as he looked up at both his sons. Jason and Dick exchanged glances before both turning back to Bruce. The man pointed to Jason for a moment and continued "you had sex with Talia, Kaden was born," he turned to Dick "and then you and Jason met up in a joint investigation of a child trafficking ring that turned out to be an illegal genetic experimentation laboratory, funded by Lex Corp, found Kaden, then Talia showed up and dumped him in your arms?"

Jason and Dick exchanged another glanced. Jason nodded curtly and said "yeah, that pretty much sums it up." An uncomfortable silence settled over the room, Jason and Dick fidgeting nervously, and Bruce sitting there like a statue. That awkward silence was interrupted when the door swung open and Tim was standing there with a grin on his face. Ace, his black Great Dane, strolled up beside him with Kaden on his back, the infant giggling happily as he clung to the dog's fur.

"Hey little man!" Jason said with a laugh. Dick chuckled in amusement at the sight, and even caught a glimpse of a smirk on Bruce's face.

"Hey guys, I just came back from school, half-day, and found Ace playing with this little guy. Who is he?" Tim asked.

Jason picked the child up off of Ace's back, the dog looking up at the boy and wagging his tail, but Jason ignored him in favor of glaring at Damian. The boy, ten years old, strode into the room, patting the dog as he passed.

"His name's Kaden. He's my son," Jason aid proudly, a huge grin on his face. Tim looked at him incredulously.

"You...have a kid?! Whose his mother?" Tim asked.

"Who cares? Probably some prostitute Todd picked up off a street corner," Damian said derisively. Jason grinned like the devil; _oh this is going to be too good._

"His mother is Talia," Jason said, grin becoming mischievous. Damian looked up at him in shock, then in anger.

"What did you say?!" Damian growled. Jason looked the boy in the eye, grinning like the devil.

"You heard me; I fucked your mother!"

"I'll kill you, Todd!" Damian snarled, Ace jumping between them and growling at Damian.

"Because Little D, you know how protective Ace is of children," Dick warned, trying like hell not to smirk, because frankly, this was kind of funny. Damien's lips tugged into a snarl as he backed off.

"Put the kid down Todd, and face me like a man!" Jason let out a barking laughter.

"You? A man?! Please, you're about as manly as a frilly pink dress!"

"Alright, that's enough, both of you," Bruce interrupted, pushing himself up from his desk. Damien growled at Jason before storming out of the room, leaving Dick, Tim and Jason alone with Bruce. Jason looked down at Ace and smiled, placing his son down on the floor beside the dog. Ace's tail wagged wildly as he smothered the baby with affection, Kaden's little legs and arms flailing as the room was filled with the shrill sound of his laughter.

Jason and Dick turned their attention back to Bruce, even as Ace carried Kaden out of the room like a little pup.

"Ace wont hurt him. In fact, he's probably as good a babysitter as Alfred," Tim said with a grin. Jason shrugged.

"I'm not worried." Tim flashed another smile before leaving the three of them alone. Jason turned back to Bruce and shook his head.

"Before you say it, no. I'm not giving him up for adoption. He's my son, so I'm going to keep him." Bruce eyes him carefully before siting back down at his desk.

"I figured you'd say that, but tell me-" Bruce began, glancing back and forth between Jason and Dick "how are you going to take care of him? Are you going to take him back to that crummy apartment in the Bowery?

"Crummy?! Okay, yeah, it's pretty shitty," Jason admitted with a laugh, Dick snickering beside him. Jason elbowed him playfully and then said "I'll find another apartment."

"How are you going to pay for the things he needs? With extortion money?" Bruce asked critically, raising an eyebrow. Jason frowned, not liking where this conversation was headed.

"I'm not accepting your money, and I'm not moving into the manor! I'm my own man, and I'd prefer to live like it," he said firmly.

"Well, there is the trust fund you set up for him," Dick pointed out with a shrug of his shoulders. Bruce glanced over at Dick, having forgotten about that; it _had_ been quite a number of years ago. He turned his attention back on Jason, watched him carefully as he spoke, and noticed he hadn't wavered on that point; he seemed pretty adamant about doing this himself.

"Do you know what taking care of a child entails?" Alfred asked from behind them. The man slipped into the study and closed the door behind them and continued, "my apologies sir, but I _have_ raised children. And you, since you were an infant." Bruce nodded to him and the man continued "the child will wake up at all hours of the night, he'll require constant attention, diaper changing, feeding, burping, for all intents and purposes, you'd have to practically give up your vigilante life."

Jason hadn't thought of that. He cursed under his breath because he'd busted his ass to get Gotham's crime under his rule, and crime had dropped greatly as a result of it. Sure, it was a pain in the ass to keep it that way, but it all seemed worth it. But if giving it up meant he could take care of his son-

"I'll move in with him then," Dick put in. Jason looked up at him in surprise; they hadn't lived together in over five years. Despite how much he still loved Dick, the man had actually seemed...happier without him. Of course, if Dick could read his mind right now-

"Don't think for a moment I wouldn't want to live with you, Jaybird. My happiest days were spent living with you."

"Fuckin' mind reader," Jason mumbled. Dick chuckled in amusement and placed a kiss on his jaw.

"There's still the matter of Bludhaven, and your job there," Bruce pointed out.

"It's only a thirty minute drive, it's not a big deal. And we still have those zeta tubes in the batcave right? Couldn't we set one up in my apartment building? I mean, I do kinda own the whole thing, y'know," Dick answered. Bruce smirked a bit; Dick had given a lot of thought to this it seemed. Either that, or he was only just thinking of all of this now.

"I would be happy to drop by two or three times a week to aid you, sirs," Alfred offered. Bruce nodded in agreement.

"Kaden is family, we're happy to help. Which is why I insist you at least let me buy you a place here in Gotham." Jason frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. His pride wouldn't allow him to accept so much help, but his common sense told him he would need it. So he debated all these ideas, simultaneously in his head, silently. His independence was important to him, so he wanted to maintain that. But he could still be independent and accept help, right?

Heaving a sigh, Jason raked his hands through his hair and answered "Alright, fine, fine. Yes to all of it. I suppose there's nothing wrong with accepting a little help," he answered, grumbling that last part out. Dick snickered and jabbed him in the side with his elbow.

"I'm sorry, what was that Jaybird?" Jason glared at him and shoved him back, playfully.

"I said...I guess there's nothing wrong with accepting help."

"Ouch, the blow to your pride must've"

"Bite me."

"Tempting."

"Loser.

"Ass,"

"Alright you two," Bruce mused, lips tugging into a smirk. The man sat down at the desk and sighed. Jason seemed adamant about keeping Kaden, for which he was actually rather proud. Seeing his adoptive son, step up and take responsibility for _his_ son, well, he couldn't be prouder. But he was still a littler nervous, because he wondered if the two of them could handle it.

"You both realize, if you decide to...continue your relationship, a child could complicate things?" Bruce asked. Dick and Jason exchanged glances; they hadn't exactly talked about a relationship. Of course, they had sex every once in a while when one visited the other...but they weren't really sure where they stood with each other.

"We'll figure it out," Jason answered with a shrug.

"Very good sirs, now in the meantime, I suggest we go shopping. I'd wager you're ill prepared to care for a child," Alfred said casually. He turned to leave, stopping in the doorway and turning to look over his shoulder "oh and I'd also recommend going shopping for furnishings for your new apartment." Alfred turned back to Jason and said "I've seen your apartment, and frankly sir, it's a train wreck." The man retreated and Dick just laughed. Alfred was always brutally honest.

"Want some ice for that burn?" Dick asked.

"Fuck off."

* * *

Jason and Dick left Kaden in the care of Tim, Bruce and Ace while Alfred took them out shopping. In the meantime, Bruce had made arrangements, buying an apartment for them in West Village, Uptown. They dropped by the apartment a few hours later to drop off what they'd bought, which was quite a lot; diapers, toys, bottles, food, clothes, more toys, and other things Alfred said were essential to raising a child.

When they got to the apartment, some movers were already moving their new furniture into the place, but Jason was pretty adamant about keeping some of the things from his own place, namely his couch. Alfred seemed a little put off by the raggedy thing, but it wasn't really that bad. When asked, Jason merely stated that it was 'comfortable'.

They were fully moved in by late afternoon, at which point Bruce had invited them to dinner back at the manor. He'd suggested a restaurant, but Jason was completely against the idea. Of course, once they heard his reason, they fully understood and agreed with him. The reason one might ask? Paparazzi.

So Jason, Kaden and Dick returned to the manor again that night to join Bruce, Alfred, Tim and Damian for dinner. And it wasn't in that overly lavish dining room either, but in a smaller, more homey kitchen, with a small table with room enough for all of them. They were all dressed in casual attire, though Damian made a remark about Jason being slob, considering his attire consisted of a pair of jeans, a black t-shirt and a black and red hoodie with his black leather boots.

"Hey, animals don't belong at the table, Ace, come up here, Damian's in your spot," Jason quipped back, looking down at the dog who just looked back and tilted his head.

"Fu-"

"Language Master Damian," Alfred interrupted. Damian glared at Jason who had a cocky smirk on his face. Jason turned to Kaden who was sitting in a high chair, and got back to feeding him his applesauce, even trying to get him to feed himself a few times. Of course that ended quickly, when Kaden catapulted a glob of applesauce at Dick.

"Ugh, little brat. I bet daddy taught him that," Dick said with a glare at Jason. Jason raised his hands in the air defensively.

"I didn't teach him that! If it were me, I'd have taught him to fling it at smeagol over there," Jason retorted, nodding toward Damian.

"Watch it Todd," Damian snapped, a scowl on his face.

"Are you sure Jason should be raising a child? I think Kaden is more mature than he is," Tim teased. Jason flipped him off, then quickly retracting the gesture after a well placed glare from Alfred.

Once dinner was over, and Kaden was starting to fall asleep, Dick and Jason excused themselves to head for home.

"Thanks Bruce, and not just for dinner, but for everything," Dick offered with a smile as Jason carefully picked up Kaden who'd begun to nod off. He glanced back at the man as he retreated out to the car and turned back to Bruce, shrugging his shoulders.

"He's thankful too, just to proud to admit it," he added with a smirk. Bruce chuckled in amusement and patted Dick on the back.

"He's my grandson, adopted or not. It was the least I could do. But I want you to be aware, you and Jason are in for quite a lot. Children, especially infants can be quite a handful." Dick gave a shrug and a smile.

"Yeah, I guess. I mean, I've only had a taste from babysitting Lian, but Jason seems pretty dead set on raising his own son, so I figure, maybe I should help him, y'know?" Bruce smiled at Dick and patted him on his shoulder.

Dick headed out to the car and joined Jason who opted to drive this time, so he hopped into the passenger's seat.

"What'd Bruce want?" Jason asked, glancing over at Dick as he pulled away from the manor. Dick just shrugged.

"Oh y'know, just the usual mushy stuff you have an aversion to," Dick teased. Jason snorted, smirk tugging at his lips. The rest of the drive home was spent mostly in silence, both of them too afraid to wake the baby. Which presented another problem when they _did_ get home; getting him inside without waking him up.

Fortunately, Kaden slept just like his father; like a rock. So once they got inside and placed him in his new crib, both them of them retreated to the bedroom.

"Day two. I wonder how long we can last," Dick said allowed. Jason snorted and started dressing down into just a pair of boxers.

"Keeping count to see how many days it takes for me to go insane?" Jason asked amusedly. Dick laughed and flopped down onto the bed, dressed in a pair of dorm pants and Jason joined him moments later.

"No, keeping count of how many days it takes before you drive Kaden insane." Jason snorted and playfully punched the man in the arm, before tugging him to his chest.

"You've got a big mouth. What say we put it to use, hmm?" Jason asked with a rather mischievous smirk, pressing his lips to Dick's. Dick chuckled in amusement and kissed him back, slipping his tongue into the younger man's mouth, one hand coming up to cup his face, thumb gently caressing his cheek. And then they were interrupted by the sound of crying. Jason sighed and pulled away.

"And so it begins."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The next morning proved rather eventful. It was Jason's turn to wake up to a rather adorable sight. He pulled himself out of bed with a yawn, his usual grumpy, morning frown on his face, and slid into a pair of dorm pants before shuffling into the living room. There, he found Dick holding Kaden's little hands and helping him walk a giggled happily and Dick had the sweetest smile on his face as he helped little Kaden walk the length of the coffee table before the child fell down.

"Well, isn't this adorable. Almost wish I had my camera," Jason said with a grin before moving on into the kitchen with a yawn.

"Dada!" Kaden called after him, his chubby little arms outstretched toward Jason. Jason froze on the spot; it was such a little thing and yet...he turned toward Kaden, a genuine smile on his face, forgetting about his coffee for a few moments to crouch down in front of him.

"Dada!" Kaden squealed again, tugging at his father's hair, grabbing tufts of white. Jason chuckled a bit and carefully pried the little boy's hands off his hair.

"Taught him that this morning! He was already making vague sounds, so we worked on it a little," Dick explained, grabbing the bottle off the table and handing it to Kaden. The boy accepted to bottle and sat in the floor, drinking the milk contentedly, little eyes following his father as Jason moved into the kitchen for his coffee.

"Oh by the way, Barbara is coming over later. And Roy, too," Dick said then, pushing himself up onto his feet. Jason groaned in annoyance as he took his first sips of coffee.

"Jesus, really? They're going to smother the poor kid. And Probably give me the third degree," Jason mumbled, sitting down on the couch behind Kaden. He smirked a little, nudging the boy gently with his foot. Kaden sent his father a little glare that was oh-so-incredibly Jason-like. Dick burst out in laughter.

"That's adorable, he has daddy's scowl!" Jason snickered in amusement at the sight as the boy put the bottle down and reached for Dick, looking to try walking again.

"That's my boy," he said, smirk twisting into a grin. A knock came at the door and Dick moved to open it, revealing Barbara and Roy, with Lian in his arms.

"Hey guys, come on in," Dick offered with a smile. Barbara smiled at him as she wheeled herself inside and Roy strolled in, giving Jason a cocky smirk.

"So, welcome to fatherhood then. Where is the little guy?" Roy asked. Jason looked around but Kaden was gone.

"How the hell did he get over there so fast?!" Jason asked in surprise, spotting Kaden halfway across the room, playing with a teddy bear. Roy laughed in amusement as he carefully placed Lian down on the floor. The toddler looked up at her father and smiled before she moved toward Kaden, to check out the new baby.

"Aw, he's so adorable!" Barbara cooed, wheeling herself toward Kaden. The baby looked up at her and let loose a shrill laughter, offering her the teddy bear. Barbara 'aaaw'd' again, accepting the teddy bear and both Jason and Dick laughed.

"Look at that! Not even a year old and he's a ladies man!" Jason said with a laugh. Dick snorted.

"He's going to be a little heart breaker," he added. Roy playfully punched his friend's arm and then flopped down on the couch next to him.

"Like father, like son, right? Just make sure he keeps it in his pants when he's older. I don't wanna have to kill him for coming on to my little girl," Roy teased, although he was half serious too. Jason snickered in amusement.

"Hey, just because I fu-"

"Jason!" Barbara shot at him without looking up. Jason rolled his eyes and Roy snickered at him.

"You get the point. He'll be a respectable-" a snort from Dick "young man. And fuck you Dick." Barbara shot him a glare as she handed the teddy bear back to Kaden. Lian came over to her and held her arms out to her.

"Aunt Baba," she called to her.

"I think someone's jealous," Jason said in amusement. Roy just nodded his head.

"Oh yeah, she gets jealous when Aunt Baba gives anyone but her attention."

"I think it's adorable," Barbara replied, picking the little girl up and placing her in her lap. Roy pushed himself up off of the couch and knelt down beside Kaden, the little boy looking up at him with his little blue eyes, flashing him a little angry look, as if trying to intimidate him. Roy snorted, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Jesus, he's definitely got your scowl," Roy said in amusement when the boy's scowl turned into a smile, laughter erupting from him. Roy picked him up and his little hands started grabbing at the strings on his hoodie.

"Cute kid. Looks just like you," Roy said coolly, glancing over at Jason.

"And Talia is his mother?" Jason gave a nod.

"Yeah, unfortunately." Roy laughed and put the boy down, but instead of sitting back down, he stayed standing up and the whole room went silent, watching what he'd do. Even Jason leaned forward, watching him carefully, eyes slightly wide. The room was entirely silent as Kaden wobbled in place for a moment...before taking a few steps toward Jason, calling 'dada!' He didn't get very far before he fell down, and then everyone laughed at his adorable little Jason-like scowl as he crossed his tiny arms over his chest in disappointment.

Jason got up off the couch and picked him up, earning a squealing laughter from the boy.

"You walked, buddy! I'm so proud of you," Jason said happily, kissing his forehead. Barbara, Roy and Dick even joined in in congratulating the little boy. He'd taken his first steps all on his own!

"Well, I have to get going, Lian has a doctor's appointment in an hour," Roy said smoothly, gesturing for Lian. The toddler grabbed her father's hand and followed him out of the apartment.

"Catch you guys later," he called back over his shoulder.

"See ya Roy," Dick called after him. Barbara started wheeling away too.

"Yeah, I should probably get going too," she turned her attention on Kaden who looked up at her and gave a little half-wave.

"Bye bye little Jay," she called, earning an odd look from Jason. She giggled and wheeled out of the door, closing it behind her. Jason sighed deeply and leaned back on the couch.

"Ugh, this is going to be a long day," he murmured. Dick snickered and joined him on the couch, kissing his jaw.

* * *

A few weeks passed as Dick and Jason settled into a routine; they'd trade nights off to go out on patrol. One night, Dick would go out as Nightwing and the next, Jason would go and so on and so forth. Unfortunately, it didn't always work out that way. Due to the nature of Jason's...work...he sometimes had to go out multiple nights in a row, leaving Dick to take care of Kaden. Sometimes they ended up having Tim, or Roy, or even Alfred come over to watch him so they could both for out, each following leads for their own cases.

Tonight was another night, the fifth night in a row that Jason went out on patrol as the Red Hood while Dick stayed with the baby. He'd gotten a report from one of his lieutenants that The Falcone's were trying to move back into Gotham from Bludhaven after having been chased out a couple years ago. And now, he was watched as one of his turncoat Lieutenants was brokering a deal with Mario Falcone.

"The Red Hood wont be a problem. My gang and I have taken steps to ensure he's unaware of the Faclone's presence here in Gotham," the man said with a grin. Mario Falcone gave a nod.

"Good. And when the time comes, I assure you, the Falcone's will kill the pretender and take Gotham back. You will be my right-hand man," Mario said with a smirk.

"Yeah, not happening," Red Hood said smoothly, arms crossed over his chest as he stared down at the thugs below.

"R-Red Hood?! How did you-"

"Save your breath. I've known for a week you piece of garbage," Red Hood replied. Mario Falcone snorted and pointed toward him.

"Waste him!" the men pointed their guns at him and started firing on him. Red Hood laughed in amusement as he disappeared behind some crates. Moments later, some of his own men burst into the warehouse to take down the traitors and the Falcones. Mario attempted to escape in the confusion, but that wasn't happening; The Red Hood followed him and the man hadn't even gotten to his car before he hopped down from the roof above and landing in front of him.

"Where do you think you're going?" Red Hood said smoothly. Mario whipped out a gun and attempted to shoot, But Red Hood spun on the spot, kicking the gun out of his hand, then punching him in the jaw with an uppercut, sending him sprawling over backward on the ground. Before the man could recover, Red Hood grabbed him up, slammed his head against his own car and knocked him out cold, then tied him up and tossed him against the car, leaving him for the GCPD.

"Red Hood sir," came one of his men's voices. Red Hood turned and shot the man a glare. The man fidgeted nervously and reported "the traitors have been taken care of. What do you want us to do with the survivors?"

"Get rid of the traitors. Hand the Falcones over to the GCPD and make it known-" Red Hood said, taking a threatening step forward "that they're to give the cops everything they want. Or they'll get a visit from me."

"U-understood sir!" the man stammered, retreating back to the warehouse to relay the orders. Heaving a sigh of exhaustion, he grappled up to a nearby building and headed for home.

Once he was back at the apartment building, he slipped in through the window of their apartment, pulling off the red mask, sighing in relief as cool air met sweat slick covered skin.

"Have fun?" Dick asked angrily, gently rocking Kaden in his arms. Jason looked toward the voice as he started removing his equipment and moving toward the closet where he and Dick kept their gear. They were going to have to figure out a better hiding place for this stuff when Kaden got older to prevent him from finding it. He began tucking the gear inside and heaved a sigh.

"How long has he been out?" Jason whispered, pulling off his jacket and his shirt, sighing contentedly as the cool air breezed over his bare skin.

"Only five minutes. He's been awake all night. For the fifth night in a row," Dick growled. Jason felt a twinge of guilt at leaving Dick with him for five nights in a row. Everyone else had been too busy to look after Kaden. Tim was all the way over in Jump City, Bruce and Damian were out on patrol every night this week, and with them out, Alfred needed to remain at the manor in case either of them needed patching.

"Look, it's important work, I can't just blow it off-" Dick held up a hand and interrupted him, moving to Kaden's bedroom and placing the sleeping child down in the crib before creeping out and closing the door behind him.

"Jason, five fucking nights in a row! I've stayed up all night, every night, for almost a week! Can't you give _me_ a fucking break? I love Kaden, really, but seriously, what the fuck?! Why not have one of your crime lords or whatever handle it?!" Dick growled, keeping his voice low. Jason snorted and turned his back on Dick, moving for the kitchen.

"Oh, come on! Don't play victim! How many times have you pulled this same crap! 'Oh sorry Jaybird, but I got this lead I want to follow'" Jason said in a mocking tone. Dick growled and was very tempted to throw something at him, but there was nothing on hand.

"Oh, grow up Jason! My work is important too!"

"Hey! I sit at home all day with him while you go off to Bludhaven to play police officer! And then I sit at home with Kaden while you go play vigilante! I might be his father, but I need a god damn break too, y'know! You come home and fuckin' nag me about cleaning the place up-"

"Oh spare me, I do all the cleaning around here, you just sit on your ass-"

"Fuck you, no one asked you to play daddy with me," Jason snapped both of them were interrupted by Kaden's cries and as much as they'd prefer to keep arguing, they both sighed and went into the room to check on him. They hadn't realized it right away, but their arguing turned into shouting and they must've startled the baby.

"Sssh, it's okay little guy," Jason cooed, gently rocking the little boy in his arms. Kaden let out another shrill cry, tear rolling down his tiny cheeks as he buried his face in his father's shoulder. Jason cursed under his breath and patted the boy's back, but it wasn't working, so Dick took him and started bouncing him a little, whispering soothing words, everything he could think of until he finally started to settle down. The two of them moved out of the room and Dick turned to Jason.

"Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to call you lazy, I was just-"

"Frustrated? Pissed? Yeah, we've been at each other like this for the last few days, haven't we?" Jason asked with a smirk. Dick chuckled a bit at the response and sighed heavily.

"Look, I get it Jay, your work is important, you keep the peace in Gotham. But you need to understand; I'm _exhausted!_ For the last week now, I wake up early, drive half an hour to Bludhaven, work all day, come back, and then I watch Kaden until late at night. Most nights this week, he doesn't even go to sleep until midnight, or he wakes up at like, two in the morning while you're still out-" Jason held up a hand and stopped his little mini-rant.

"I get it, really I do, and I'm sorry for the whole 'play daddy' comment. I know you wouldn't be here if you didn't want to be," Jason added in. Dick laughed in amusement, which seemed rather random. Jason quirked an eyebrow at him but Dick held up a finger, signaling him to wait. He moved to Kaden's room again and carefully placed the child into the crib before returning to the living room with Jason.

"We're practically married now, you realize? Arguing over a baby, over work, housework." Jason laughed too, because now that he realized it, it was kinda true. He wrapped an arm around Dick's waist and tugged him close.

"Well then, maybe I'll buy you a nice gold ring and make you Mrs. Todd?" Jason teased. Dick snorted and playfully shoved the younger man away.

"Bullshit. If anything, you should be Mrs. Grayson." Jason let out a bark of laughter.

"You wish." The two of them shared a laugh, and then a kiss, Dick melting his lips against Jason's, tongue slipping into his mouth, deepening the kiss. Jason threaded his fingers through Dick's hair, the older man moaning softly into his mouth as the two of them moved toward the couch. Dick shoved Jason down, grinning down at him and Jason grinning up.

"Well, well, what do we have here? Grayson's getting assertive. It's kinda sexy," Jason purred. Dick opened his mouth to speak, but they were once again interrupted by the cry of an infant. Dick and Jason both sighed heavily.

"I love Kaden, I really do," Jason murmured, draping an arm over his eyes and then grabbing his own crotch "but he's a cockblocker. My dick is in serious need of attention." Dick laughed in amusement and held out his hand, Jason accepting the offer and allowing himself to be tugged up off the couch.

"Maybe we can convince Alfred to look after him for a few days? Get some much needed R&R, and take care of your blue balls," Dick teased. Jason snorted, quickly tugging Dick close for another kiss.

"Please, don't pretend your own balls aren't as blue as a smurf." Dick laughed at the comment and the two of them went to check on Kaden.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Alfred arrived at the apartment early the next morning and got to work cleaning up almost immediately. Kaden was naturally already awake and crying in his crib to get out. Alfred stepped into the room and grabbed the child, bringing him out into the kitchen and putting him in his high chair while he made breakfast, expecting Dick and Jason to be up soon.

He was correct, of course because the two of them dragged themselves out of the bedroom fifteen minutes later, appearing groggy and tired. Dick, who was usually a morning person, was just as tired looking as Jason this morning.

"Good morning sirs, breakfast shall be ready shortly, and coffee is on the table," Alfred said shortly, returning to his work. Jason and Dick both shared a glancing before flopping down at the table, sipping their coffee.

"Oh god, it;s like heaven," Jason murmured.

"He wouldn't go to sleep until five in the morning," Dick muttered, scrubbing his face with his hands. Alfred chuckled in amusement as he placed plates of food for each of them down on the table.

"Welcome to parenthood," He said with a slight smile. Jason snorted, content to sip his coffee and eat in silence.

"Oh, right, before I forget, there's something I wanted to ask you, Alfred," Dick said then, glancing up at the man over the rim of his cup. Alfred looked over at Dick before in the affirmative, before he moved into the living room and began cleaning.

"I was wondering if you wouldn't mind taking Kaden for a few days?" he asked carefully. He got up out of his chair and moved to lean against the doorway to the living room.

"Just so Jason and I can have some, uh...alone time, y'know?" he asked, blushing a little. Alfred flashed him a smile and inclined his head.

"You and Master Jason have proven yourselves responsible, caring parents. I do not see why you cannot have a few days to yourselves. I will take young Master Kaden back with the manor with me when I leave, and return him on Sunday morning. Does that sound agreeable?" he asked. Jason stepped past Dick and into the living room, sipping his coffee.

"Yes, please, that'd be great," and then he turned to Dick and said "and you call in sick to work."

"And what about yours?" Dick asked, quirking an eyebrow. Jason snorted.

"Please, how badly can that bunch of idiots fuck up Gotham in three days? They'll be fine on their own," Jason said flatly, earning a laugh of amusement from Dick.

"They're kind of like children, aren't they?"

"Worse," Jason said with a derisive snort. He sighed deeply and scrubbed his face with his hands, flopping down onto the couch as he considered that little he hadn't told Dick is that there was a surprising amount of politics involved in the Underworld. It was difficult to keep them all happy, which was mandatory to keep them from defecting and causing a gang war.

This particular problem had to be rectified before he and Dick could really spend any time together. Because he honestly didn't trust them. There _was_ one person, however, who he trusted above all else. A childhood friend who regrettably grew up into crime; David James, a.k.a Blackjack. Blackjack tolerated no bullshit and actually approved of the way Red Hood ran things and shared a lot of his ideals such as his dislike for dealing to children or gunning down innocent people. As a Crime Boss himself, he commanded enough authority to be able to take head of Red Hood's organization for a few days.

Wordlessly, Jason moved off the couch and back into the bedroom. He dug into the closet where they kept all their vigilante gear and found what he was looking for; an untraceable phone. He slipped out the window and onto the fire escape so as not to be overheard and then placed the call.

"Blackjack. This is the Red Hood. Something's come up. I;m going to be out of town for a few days and I need someone I trust to keep the peace. Think you can handle that?" He asked.

"Sure thing. Lemme record this, then I can throw it in their sorry fuckin' faces if they try shit," Blackjack replied. Jason could practically hear the grin on his face; the man was smart. So Jason repeated the message and hen hung up.

"Work?" Dick asked, quirking an eyebrow, his arms crossed. Jason huffed and pushed his way back into the bedroom.

"Just taking care of something. Making sure shit doesn't hit the fan while we're on break," Jason said casually, pressing a kiss to Dick's jaw. Dick frowned, but didn't press it, befoe he moved to the landline to call in for some of that vacation time. A knock came at the door way; Alfred had little Kaden in his arms.

"I shall be taking my leave sirs. As agreed, I'll take Kaden for a few days. Good day," Alfred said, bowing his head respectfully.

"See ya Alf!" Jason called after him. Jason turned back to Dick, a rather devilish grin on his face. Dick laughed in amusement, because he knew what the man was thinking (because he was thinking it too).

"Now that we're alone, how about we make up for lost time, hmm?" he purred, shoving Dick onto the bed. Dick propped himself up on his elbows as the younger man climbed on top of him, peppering his neck in feather light kisses. Dick bit his lip and, reluctantly, gently pushed the younger man off of him. Jason quirked an eyebrow, confused.

"Something wrong?" he asked. Dick blushed a little bit, fidgeting in place as Jason sat beside him.

"Actually, yes. Tell me something," he began, head turning, blue eyee meeting blue.

"When was the last time we did something together, like-"

"A date?" Jason asked, quirking an eyebrow. Dick gave a nod, and flopped back on the bed.

"Sex is great, don't get me wrong, I mean, holy shit, I love sex just as much as the next guy," Dick said with a laugh, winking at Jason. Jason snorted as a smirk tugged at his lips. He lay beside Dick, on his side, head propped up on his elbow and looked at him with curious blue eyes.

"Okay, that we can agree on, sex is great," Jason agreed, humming contentedly as he leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to Dick's lips. Dick smiled at him and sighed.

"What I'm saying is, I don't want _just_ sex," he explained, glancing over at Jason, his expression serious. Jason's own expression matched Dick's, because he knew what Dick was getting at, but he waited patiently for him to finish.

"Maybe I'm just a sap"

"You are" Jason interrupted with a little smirk. Dick laughed and playfully shoved the man beside him.

"Shut up and listen," Dick said, licking hips lips as he considered his words carefully "I want a relationship. Like a real one, you and me, together." He sat up then and cupped Jason's face with his hand, thumb stroking over his cheek.

"Like what we had five years ago, you remember?" Dick asked with a smile. Jason sighed contentedly, leaning into the touch before pushing himself up into a sitting position.

"I do. But you know me, I;m not really good at all this sappy, emotional crap. A good round of rough sex and I'm a happy guy," he said honestly, grin slapped across his face. Dick laughed and leaned against Jason's side.

"You remember the night you left? What you said to me?" Dick asked then. Jason frowned a bit, recalling that night, frown changing into t grin.

"You mean after the awesome sex?" Dick snorted and slapped the man;'s shoulder.

"Pervert,"

"You love it."

"But seriously, do you? Dick asked, his eyes meeting Jason's. Jason hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"I do."

"Did you mean it?" And like a deer in the headlights, Jason froze. _I love you, Dick._ But did he still feel the same? Like, truly? At the time, yeah, he meant it. But could he say it now, and mean it?

"I meant it," Jason answered. Dick smiled a bit then pushed away from the man.

"And how do you feel now?" Dick asked carefully. He'd been thinking a lot about what Bruce had said recently, and he really did want to rekindle his and Jason's relationship, but the question remained; is that what Jason wanted? Jason heaved a sigh and raked his hands through his hair.

"Dick, I told you once, so I'll tell you again-" Dick bit his lip in apprehension, then Jason turned, staring into his eyes "if you think you can handle me, then why the fuck not?" He grinned widely and Dick smiled back, leaning in for a kiss, his lips melting with Jason's in a sweet, chaste kiss.

"I'm pretty sure I can handle you," Dick replied with a cocky little smirk on his face. Jason snorted.

"I guess we'll see, won't we?"

* * *

"Master Bruce, I believe young Kaden will be staying here for a few days," Alfred said casually, strolling through the door with the infant in his arms. Bruce stopped in his tracks, on his way to his study when Alfred mentioned Kaden's staying here.

"Really Alfred? I don't think we have a crib for him-"

"Already taken care of, sir. I'd made arrangements. Master Dick and Master Jason requested some...vacation time, and I think they deserve it, don't you?" Alfred asked, placing the infant down next to and happy Ace. The dog's tail wagged wildly as he licked the giggling infant's face. He crouched down, ass raised in the air, tail going, letting out little mewls and barks at the baby. Kaden let out a shrill laughter, reaching his chubby little hands out to the dog's face.

Bruce and Alfred watched amusedly as the dog and baby played together, then Bruce gave a shrug.

"Sure, why not? It;s be nice to have my grandson here." _Grandson..._ that would take some getting used to, but with a smile, Bruce decided he rather liked it.

"Ugh, what is _that_ thing doing here?" came Damian's disgusted voice from across the room. Bruce and Alfred looked up at the boy who stared at Kaden disgustedly.

"Young Kaden will be staying with us for a few days while Master Dick and Master Jason spend some time along together," Alfred explained. Damian quirked an eyebrow at the idea and then snorted.

"So Todd and Grayson can't even take care of their own child? Unsurprising. It'll be a miracle if this kid lives to see the age of 5," Damian daid derisively, retreating from the room.

"What's that? Did I hear that my favorite nephew is staying here with us for a few days?!" Time called, entering the room and kneeling down in front of Kaden. The little boy giggled happily, reaching out for Tim. Tim grinned widely and happily picked the boy up, Ace whining when his playmate had been taken away.

"Oh hush, Ace! You'll get him back!" Tim answered. The dog cocked his head and wagged his tail before retreating from the room.

"Hey Kaden! Want to hang out with Uncle Tim?" Tim asked. Kaden giggled, his chubby little hands grabbing at Tim's shirt. Tim chuckled a little as he tossed the infant in the air a few times.

"Hey Alf, where are his toys?" Tim asked, watching as the infant squealed happily at his uncle. Alfred and Bruce smiled at the sight and Alfred directed him to the nursery, a room Bruce had had set up especially for Kaden whenever he came by for visits.

"Thanks, Kaden and I are gonna go play, aren't we Kaden?" Tim asked, smiling down at the giggling baby boy. Kaden let out a shrill laughter, little arms waving happily. Tim laughed and with Kaden in his arms, retreated up the stairs to the nursery.

Bruce chuckled in amusement at the sight.

"No regrets, Alfred. Adopting these boys was definitely the right choice" Bruce said casually, clapping his old friend on the back. Alfred managed a small smile.

"Indeed sir." Ace trotted up to Bruce, tilting his head to the side and wagging his tail. Bruce chuckled in amusement and patted the dog on the head.

"Yes, even you too, boy." The dog barked happily.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Kaden squealed happily when he threw the little red ball and Ace chased after it, through the house and brought his back to him, laying on the floor in front of the infant, ass in the air, tail wagging wildly in anticipation. Tim watched the two of them from the couch in amusement, smiling from ear to ear; Ace really was amazing with kids. And when Kaden threw the ball again and Ace bounded after it, the boy squealed again, waving his little arms in the air, chubby legs kicking.

Tim had offered to watch the infant for a while, while Alfred attended to Bruce, who'd just come back from a rather exhausting business trip. Honestly, he'd take any chance he could to baby sit, because he loved Kaden like his own flesh-and-blood nephew. But alas, his phone rang; it was the Titans and they seemed to need him for a mission. He explained he was busy, but it seemed like an emergency.

He hated this, really, but he was left with only one option: "Damian!" Said boy stomped into the room, arms crossed over his chest and a very angry look on his face.

"What do you want, Drake?" he asked flatly. Tim glared at the kid; he was a complete brat and a little asshole, but he didn't have time for it.

"Alfred and Bruce are busy and the Titans need me, it sounds like an emergency. Can you look after Kaden for a while?" Damien glanced over at the child, playing with Ace. Damien snorted.

"Why should I have to look after it?"

"'It' has a name, and it's Kaden. And he _is_ your half-brother-" Damian growled at him and Tim silently took satisfaction in that "-so you may as well get to know him." Tim hopped up off the couch, kneeling beside Kaden and hugging the infant before retreating from the room. He stopped halfway and glanced back at Damian.

"And please don't use him for sword practice, or throw him down a flight of stairs."

"Fuck you Drake, I don't kill infants," Damian snapped. The boy huffed in annoyance and moved over toward the bookshelf, picking up a book and settling on the couch to read. He occasionally glanced over at Kaden who seemed content to keep playing with Ace. _Half-Brother? As if._

He was really getting into his book, having lost track of both time and Kaden, until he became keenly aware of being watched. He looked over the top of the book to see Kaden staring at him, standing upright and using the couch to hold him up.

"What do you want? Go away," Damian shooed. Kaden just giggled at him and Damian rolled his eyes, returning to his book. That was until the couch shifted a bit. He glanced over in Kaden's direction to find the boy had somehow managed to climb up onto the couch beside him. He shot the boy a derisive look and turned his attention back to the book once more.

Then a squeal caught his attention as the infant tried to settle into his lap.

"No, go away! I'm trying to read!" Damian snapped. Kaden just looked up at him and giggled, making himself comfortable as his little fingers played with the pages of the book. Damian huffed in annoyance and put the book down, picking Kaden up and putting him back down on the floor. He grabbed the book again and moved across the room to an armchair, settling back into a comfortable position to resume reading.

But there he was again; minutes later, Kaden was back again and once more managed to climb up and settle in beside him.

"Ugh, can't you take a hint? I don't like you!" Damian growled. The infant gave him one his his little Jason-like frowns, but Damian just glared back. Then Kaden giggled at him and slapped the book playfully before crawling into Damian's lap again. Damian growled and rolled his eyes. _Why won't he leave me alone?!_

He sighed deeply, resigning himself to his fate and continued reading, trying his best to ignore the baby.

"Ah, I see you and Master Kaden are getting along quite well," came Alfred's voice as the man strode into the room. Damian looked down at the infant who looked as if he were trying to read, then up to Alfred.

"Drake took off and left him here with me. I've been trying to read, but this little _annoyance_ won't leave me alone. Please, take this thing away, Pennyworth," Damian said coolly. Alfred moved toward the two of them and picked the infant up.

"As you wish Master Damian. Dinner will be served in half an hour," he replied, retreating from the room with Kaden in his hands.

"Damy!" Kaden called back to Damian with a little laugh. Damien glared at the child, but found he wasn't quite as angry as he had been. In fact, for some odd reason, he rather liked the nickname.

"Brat," he muttered, turning the page.

* * *

Dick and Jason headed out late in the afternoon with a plan for a date. Jason was a bit nervous because he'd never actually dated before (unless you counted Netflix night) and was afraid to mess things up. Dick found this both amusing and endearing, but promised him he had nothing to worry about.

The date, by the way, was Jason's idea, and he absolutely refused to tell Dick where they were going. Of course the look on Dick's face when they arrived at the carnival in midtown Gotham. The circus was in town too, and Jason knew how much Dick loved the circus, even in spite of his own past.

"The carnival, huh? Are we raging hormonal preteens again?" Dick teased, quirking an eyebrow. A pink blush spread across Jason's face and Dick just laughed, pressing a kiss to his jaw.

"Just teasing you, Jaybird. I like it, it's a nice thought! Now c'mon, let's go have some fun," Dick said cheerily, grabbing Jason's hand and enlacing their fingers, tugging him through the carnival.

"You're like a kid in a candy store right now, y'know that?" Jason called after him, a smile touching his lips. Dick glanced back, grinning happily.

"Uh, grew up in a circus, remember? Duh!"

"Where are we going?" Jason called after Dick with a laugh, blowing raven locks out of his face. Dick stopped in front of a small pop-up restaurant and grinned at Jason.

"We'll grab a bite to eat first and then maybe go on a few rides," Dick said a little excitedly. Jason couldn't help but to smile at his eagerness, and then laugh a little, hand raking through his jet black hair.

"You're adorable like this, y'know? How come I've never seen this side of you before?" Jason asked. Dick glanced back at him and smiled, giving his fingers and gentle squeeze.

"Maybe because you've never seen me at a carnival before?" He winked at the man before he ordered them both burgers and fries. The two of them sat at one of the tables near the front of the place, just munching away and enjoying each other's company.

"Hey, you got a little ketchup on your face," Dick pointed out. Jason went to wipe it away but Dick grabbed his hand and stopped him. He smirked, then leaned close and kissed him. Jason's eyes closed, kissing back making a small disappointed sound when Dick pulled away, grinning at him.

"Got it," he said with a wink. Jason chuckled in amusement.

"Maybe I should get ketchup on my face more often," he teased. Dick laughed.

"You don't need to get messy for me to kiss you, Jaybird."

From there, Dick led Jason through the walkways lined with various booths for games, food, trinkets, lit by the pale yellow lights of the lanterns strung up above. Dusk was on its way here, but Dick didn't seem deterred at all. It started to get a little chilly, but his solution? Snuggle up against Jason's side. They stopped for cotton candy (because you just don't go to a carnival and _not_ get cotton candy) and Dick insisted they stop and play the duck hunt game.

They ended up turning it into a competition to see who could score the most. Dick went first and the LCD screen flashed 85 points. He grinned at Jason and said "top that!" Jason snorted, having his hand dismissively.

"Watch and learn, princess," he retorted in a teasing tone. He took up the toy rifle and started firing at the ducks, not missing a single mark. The LCD screen flashed with a perfect 100 points. Jason gave Dick a cocky smirk and blew on the barrel of the gun, picking out a stuffed puppy and handing it over to Dick.

"I guess I win that little bet. Here's your puppy, cupcake," Jason grinned, earning a slap on his arm. Dick took the puppy toy and hugged it, earning a snicker from Jason.

"What? I like puppies? Besides, it's for Kaden!" Dick said. Jason laughed and kissed Dick's cheek.

"Sure, it's for Kaden, babe," Jason replied, earning a little smirk from Dick. The older man entwined their fingers again and led him to the circus tent as an announcement of the next show played over the loud speakers. They were just in time too and settled in a row of seats near the front, Dick waiting eagerly for the show to begin.

Jason mostly watched Dick during the whole show; the way he laughed when the clowns were up, the joy in his eyes at seeing the animal act, and he most certainly didn't miss the brief twinge of sadness in his eyes when the acrobat show came up. _God, when did I turn into such a sap?_

"This is your fault, Dick." _Oh shit, did I say that out loud?_ He blushed a little when Dick glanced over at him confusedly.

"What's my fault?" he asked. Jason was silent for a moment before a smile tugged at his lips.

"That I'm turning into a sap. That's _your_ influence. I used to be such a bad ass, and now," Jason let loose a fake and exaggerated sigh, and Dick chuckled in amusement, leaning over and capturing his lips in a tender kiss, a kiss that Jason happily returned, his hand coming up to cup Dick's cheek, to just hold him there to enjoy the kiss for a few seconds long. Of course, a derisive comment from behind him prompted him to use said hand to flip off the offender.

"You're still a bad ass, Jaybird, you've just discovered that you have a mushy, teddy bear center on the inside," Dick teased. Jason snorted and kissed him again.

When the show came to an end and people shuffled out of the tent, they were treated to a firework show, various colors booming and flashing in the sky and Dick tucked under Jason's arm, the two of them enjoying the show, of the circus' last night in town.

After the show they headed home and snuggled up on the couch back at the apartment, firing up Netflix.

"Thanks Jaybrid, I had a lot of fun tonight," Dick said with a warm smile, currently snuggled up in Jason's lap on the couch. Jason chuckled a bit and pressed a quick kiss to Dick's lips.

"I'm glad you had fun, because that whole date was really awkward for me," Jason admitted. Dick laughed and stole another kiss, a hand threading through Jason's black hair.

"I know you're not good at this dating stuff, but trust me, when I say tonight was great."

"Well, there's one way I can think of to make it better," Jason purred, wiggling his eyebrows. Dick grinned widely at the suggestive tone in Jason's voice.

"Oh really? And what might that be?" Dick asked, playing innocent. Jason leaned in close, his lips barely touching Dick's as he laughed in mild amusement before closing the gap, a nice, slow kiss as he cupped Dick's cheek, gently stroking the soft skin with his thumb. Dick smiled into the kiss, slipping his tongue into the younger man's mouth, tasting, exploring.

"We gonna fuck right here on the couch?" Dick suddenly asked, earning a barking laughter from Jason.

"Wow, didn't expecting such a perverted comment from you, Dickie-bird. All though, couch sex sounds really hot. I'm game," Jason purred, and Dick chuckled in amusement as he pushed Jason's shirt up and off of him tossing it to the floor. He pressed a quick kiss to the man's lips before he trailed down to his neck, sucking up a mark on the soft flesh before he traveled further south over the man's chest. He gave one of his nipples a little nibble, taking the bud between his teeth, earning a slight moan from the younger man beneath him.

His hands began working Jason's belt open, pushing is jeans down past his ankles and off onto the floor. Jason's blood rushed south, his boxers tenting as his dick stiffened. Dick made an amused sound, glancing up at Jason with a seductive smirk before slowly tugging the boxers down. The next thing he knew, there was a hot, wet heat around his member and his head flew backward, thudding against the arm of the couch as Dick took him into his throat, head bobbing up and down slowly, working his tongue along the shaft.

He came up and sucked and licked at the head of his cock, Jason moaning and writing at the attention, his hands threading through Dick's hair. Jason's hips began to buck up off the couch, forcing himself down Dick's throat. The man hummed around him, the vibrations like little electric sparks up his spine.

"Fuck," Jason ground out, fighting for self-control, fighting _not_ to just fuck his mouth. His self-control damn near shattered when he felt Dick's hand lightly squeezing his balls. He let loose a lewd moan, his thrusting upward into that moist heat.

He whimpered in disappointment at the loss as Dick pulled off of him and sauntered off into the bedroom and came back with a vial of lube. Grinning like the devil, he began to undress and Jason watched with heated eyes as his lover's gorgeous body was revealed, one piece of clothing at a time.

"Damn babe, I ever tell you how absolutely fucking hot you are?" Jason asked, licking his lips seductively. Dick chuckled in amusement and settled down on the couch between Jason's legs.

"A few times, yeah, but it's nice to still hear," Dick said with a wink and a grin. He grabbed the lube but Jason snatched it from him, and in a quick motion, shoved Dick back down onto the couch. Jason just smirked down at him and poured some lube into his hand and began working his fingers into himself.

"Damn, I might lose it just watching you," Dick purred, running his hands along Jason's thighs. Jason bit his lip, stifling a moan as he added a second finger. He chuckled a bit, locking eyes with Dick.

"As hot as that'd be, where would that leave me?" he asked, winking at the man beneath him, adding a third finger. He moaned again and then, adding more lube, rand his hand up and down Dick's length, tearing a moan from the man's lips, his grip tightening on Jason's thigh's ever so slightly. And then came a deep, pleasured groan as Jason sunk himself down onto his cock in one, quick motion.

Jason groaned at the feeling of being full, of having another man inside him, because this honestly was his first time. It hurt, a lot, but it felt so damn good at the same time.

"Shit is this-"

"What it feels like when you fuck me? Pretty much, yeah. You okay?" Dick asked in a low tone, propping himself up on his elbows. Jason leaned down to capture the man's lips in a deep, sensual kiss, lips melting together, tongues dancing, hands caressing his chest, Dick's own resting on his hips. The younger man pulled away and slowly began to move his hips, fucking himself on Dick's length.

The acrobat let out a guttural moan, squeezing Jason's thighs and resisting the urge to throw him down on the floor and fuck him. Jason's hands explored the body beneath him, lightly pinching and twisting Dick's nipples, earning little pants and moans in response while he impaled himself on the man's cock.

"Fuck, don't think I'm gonna last long like this, Dickie," Jason murmured. Dick groaned, his hips working on their own, pushing up into Jason, the younger man's own sounds even more of a turn on. This was actually rather new for them; Dick had always bottomed, but he never complained because he _loved it_. But this? This was great too, being inside Jason, the pleasured, happy look on his face, the way his body shivered under his touch, he loved everything about it, about _him._

"Fuck...Dick I need you to-" but before he could finish, Dick pulled himself out of Jason and in a quick motion, had him pinned beneath him on the couch, pushing himself back in and locking eyes with the man.

"Shit, I love it when you get all assertive and aggressive like that," Jason purred, licking his lips. Dick just grinned and silence him with a rough thrust. Whatever Jason had been about to say was lost on a loud, pleasured moan.

Dick thrust himself faster and harder into Jason's tight hole, the pants and moans filling the room evolving into shouts as the pace quickened. Jason's arms came up around Dick's back, clawing and grabbing, desperate.

"Shit. Feels like you're pulling me in. Don't think I'm gonna last like this," Dick breathed, pounding into the younger man beneath him.

"Fuck, harder! Fuck me!" Jason shouted, legs wrapping around Dick's hips. And Dick obeyed, practically slamming into him at this point, tearing a scream of pleasure out of Jason, the man crying out his name as he came, hard. And Dick followed soon after, the sound of his name on Jason's lips, the pleasured look on his face, the way the man tightened around him, all of it perfect and he came inside him, moaning Jason's name into his neck as he peppered the heated flesh in kisses.

As he came back down from his orgasm, he stayed inside Jason, the man's legs slipped lazily from around his waist. Dick heaved a sigh and eventually pulled out of him, laying beside Jason and wrapped an arm around the man. Jason sighed contentedly, returning the gesture and place a kiss on the top of the man's head.

"You know...at some point we're going to have to clean up this mess," he mused. Dick huffed, cuddling a little closer to him.

"Shower sex?"

"Sounds like a plan."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Hey, there's my little man!" Jason called arms outstretched as he approached Kaden, who was sitting in Bruce's lap on the couch. Kaden's shrill laughter filled the room as he copied his father's gesture, arms outstretched.'

"Dada!" he called as Jason wrapped his arms around the infant and picked him up. Jason snickered in amusement when Kaden tugged a bit on his hair, having actually missed that, surprisingly. And then the boy reached for Dick with a call of "Didi!" Dick laughed and took the boy from Jason, Kaden bouncing excitedly in his arms, little arms flailing, shrill laughter filling the room.

Bruce got to his feet with an amused smile on his face as he patted Kaden's back.

"The last three days have been interesting to say the least. It was nice to have Kaden around," he said nonchalantly. Kaden turned in Dick's arms to look at Bruce, and grabbed at the collar of the man's shirt.

"Gampy!" he chortled. Bruce quirked an eyebrow, honestly not having heard that one before. Dick and Jason snorted, holding back a laugh and Tim came into the room moments later, laughing on their behalf.

"Sorry, I taught him that!" Tim called, coming up and playfully poking Kaden in the side, earning himself a laugh from the little boy and added "tried to teach him to say 'grandpa' or 'gramps' but it came out 'gampy'. No 'R's yet it seems." Kaden flashed Tim one his of his father's little scowls and Tim pretended to be afraid, backing off and raising his hands in front of him. Kaden laughed, bouncing in Dick's arms and everyone laughed in response.

"You have the most adorable kid ever," Tim said, patting Kaden on the head.

"So, how was he?" Jason asked, taking the boy when he reached for him. Alfred entered the room a few moments later as Tim retreated, his phone going off.

"The young master was no trouble at all. Nothing I couldn't handle," he glanced over at Bruce "I've faced much worse. Master Bruce was much more of a handful than little Kaden."

"That I don't doubt," Dick put in, earning a mock bat-glare from Bruce.

"Bring him by to visit more often, hm?" Bruce suggested with a smile, patting the boy on the head. Kaden bounced happily again and Dick smiled, kissing his head.

"Sure. We'll get out of your hair now. Thanks for watching him for a few days," Jason offered, wrapping an arm around Dick's waist, the two of them heading out of the manor.

"So," Jason began, Dick taking Kaden back from Jason.

"So," Dick answered amusedly, flashing Jason a smirk. Jason grinned and kissed Dick's neck, earning a little moan. The man planted his palm over Jason's face and shoved him away, giggling a bit.

"Not in front of the baby, Jay." Jason snorted.

"He doesn't know what's going on. Besides, I think it would be good for him to see Daddy and Mommy-"

"Don't even," Dick interrupted. Jason snickered in amusement and opened the passenger door for him.

"Mademoiselle," he said with a bow, earning a punch in the arm. Dick opened the back door and buckled Kaden into the car seat before slipping into the passenger's seat.

"So, Kaden's about eight months old, you figure, right?" Jason asked, starting up the car and pulling away from the manor. Dick glanced over at him, then back at Kaden, then back to Jason.

"About that, yeah?"

"Well, we never got an answer out of Talia, and we have no idea when he was born-"

"Shit, he'll be a year old in four months, and we don't even have a birth date!" Dick said in sudden realization, face palming. Jason chuckled in amusement, patting Dick's shoulder.

"There, there. We all make mistakes," he teased, earning a punch in the arm.

"Hey, you didn't think of one either!" Jason shrugged.

"True enough. It's not like we can just hunt her down and ask her. I suppose we'll have to pick a date."

"That also means paperwork, you realize? I highly doubt Talia had him in a hospital. Those require paperwork, which means a paper trail, which would allow someone to track her-"

"Yeah, I get the picture," Jason interrupted. The only real solution he could come up with on the spot, was to ask Bruce for help. He had, after all, done this kind of thing before, so he'd know how to do it again.

"Well, let's see...four months...let's say...February 10th?" Dick offered. Jason glanced over at Dick and quirked an eyebrow as he parked the car outside the building.

"Why February 10th? Did you just pick some random ass day?" Jason asked amusedly. Dick smirked at him as he hopped out of the car and unbuckled Kaden, who'd fallen right to sleep.

"Fuck," Jason swore. Dick looked in his direction as he carefully pulled Kaden out of the car so as not to wake him. Jason glared up at him and showed him an article on the newspaper: _Wayne Brothers, Secret Lovers?_ Below the article was a photo of He and Dick kissing at the circus the other night. Dick's expression soon turned angry as he snatched the paper out of Jason's hands and glared at it. Jason snickered because Dick was cute when he was angry. Well, mildly angry. He could be almost as terrifying as Bruce if he was _really_ pissed.

"I can't believe this shit! Fucking paparazzi actually _still_ follow me?! I thought they gave up when I moved to Bludhaven!" Dick complained, tossing the paper into a trash can nearby. Jason gingerly took Kaden from him, for which Dick was thankful, so he could be properly pissed.

The two of them made their way up to the apartment and Dick slammed the door, face-palming and falling back against it, letting out an exasperated sigh. Jason went and put Kaden down for a nap and then returned to Dick, pecking him on his lips.

"You're not concerned about what people will think, are you?" Jason asked carefully, wrapping an arm around his wasted. Dick leaned against his chest and snorted.

"Fuck no. I mean, I know what people are _going_ to think, but it's not like we're blood related. But besides that, they can go fuck themselves, because I'm happy where I am," Dick said with a smile, pressing a kiss to Jason's lips. The young man grinned into the kiss and cupped his jaw, encouraging him.

"Good. So I have to ask, what exactly are we? I mean, we fuck, we've dated, but it's not exactly official or anything, is it?" Dick frowned at the question, considering it for a moment. Then his winning smile returned.

"Boyfriends, then, if you're okay with that?" Jason gave a shrug and a smirk.

"Sure, I can live with that." He leaned in for another kiss, but was interrupted by the phone ringing. He rolled his eyes and moved to answer it.

"City Morgue, you stab 'em, we slab 'em," Jason said with a mischievous smirk on is face. Dick snorted at the comment and moved into the kitchen for a drink.

"Oh, hey dad," Jason answered. Dick quirked an eyebrow and looked into the living room at Jason, who just stuck out his tongue at him.

"Yeah, we saw it. Yeah. What? You want me to what?! Barbara?! What am I, a Ken Doll?! Fine, fine," Jason said sourly, hanging up the phone with a heavy sigh.

"What the hell was that about?" Dick asked amusedly. Jason glared at him, obviously not pleased with the conversation that had just occurred. He growled, shook his head, paced a little bit and ran his hands through his hair.

"Bruce-"

"Didn't you just call him dad?"

"I was being nice, now shut up." Dick snickered in amusement but obeyed, allowing him to continue.

"Bruce just got wind of the news. He wants to head this off before it gets worse, so he wants you, me and Kaden to show up at his Charity Gala tonight," Jason explained. Dick's expression suddenly dropped, now deadpanned, he growled under his breath.

"Ugh, I hate those damn things. Those people are worse than the gangs," Dick muttered. He glanced up at Jason and flashed an apologetic look.

"No offense."

"None taken."

"So what about that Ken Doll comment?" Dick asked, amusement returning to his features. Jason scowled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"He wants me to buy some new clothes for the event. He assumed I don't have anything nice-"

"Correctly"

"Bite me"

"Maybe later." Dick laughed and moved to embrace his boyfriend, giving him a peck on his lips.

"So what's so bad about that?" he asked. Jason rolled his eyes.

"He's sending Barbara with us. She apparently has an eye for fashion. What's more, Alfred is coming too. And I suspect Barb is going to drag Zatanna along with her, because those two are like bread and butter when it comes to shopping," Jason explained. Dick laughed in amusement and moved to the closet and looked through it, then to the dresser, all while Jason watched.

"Yup. He's right. You've got nothing. Guess you're fucked," Dick teased. Jason groaned and face palmed.

"No. You're coming with me!" Jason said then. Dick stared at him for a few moments before giving a shrug.

"Sure. I an do that. I can't wait to see what the girls pick out for you! It should be-" he was interrupted by a knock at the door, to which Jason was grateful and moved to answer.

"Hey guys!" Barbara said cheerily with Zatanna and Dinah with her.

"Oh god," Jason muttered, slack-jawed expression on his face.

"Had did you guys get here so fast?" Dick asked confusedly.

"Zeta-tube," Dinah admitted.

"Magic," she said with a shrug, a wink, and a mischievous little smirk.

"Don't worry Jay, we'll have you presentable in time for the Gala," Barbara said, the grin on her face unsettling Jason a bit as she wheeled toward him slowly.

"And a few extra outfits that'll have the gals and gents all over you," Zatanna added in with another wink as she moved up beside Barbara. Dinah giggled and moved to stand beside the two of them, and Jason shrunk back.

"Don't worry, it'll be fun." Jason looked over to Dick and mouthed the words 'help me' and Dick laughed.

* * *

Alfred had come to pick them all up in the SUV and Dick grabbed little Kaden. Of course, Barbara, Zatanna, and Dinah _all_ had to go with him because he was a baby and adorable. Kaden made the most adorable little scowl, followed by a huff so much like his father, and the girls all went 'aaawww'.

Once that was done, they all headed down to the SUV and off to the mall. The paparazzi were everywhere when they arrived, naturally assuming they'd go to the mall what with Bruce Wayne's Charity Gala coming up. Everyone knew Jason Todd, Bruce's second adopted son, had a 'bad boy' streak.

Fortunately, Alfred knew of a 'back entrance' that they could use so he drove around the back to avoid detection by the paparazzi, the five of them, Kaden in Dinah's arms, heading into the mall while Alfred went ahead and parked, to lure away the vultures.

The next hour was spent grabbing clothes for Jason to try on, who protested how expensive they were; between a couple hundred dollars to a couple thousand on a couple of suits. Dick explained that they were spending Bruce's money, but that didn't deter him at all.

Barbara, Zatanna and Dinah were all have the most fun of them all, while Dick watched on in amusement, and Jason groaned at the stuff that they were picking up and he would inevitably tend up trying on.

"Come on Jason, show us!" Dinah called.

"Yeah, come on, strut your stuff!" Zatanna added. Jason, whose face was slightly pink with embarrassment, walked out of the changing room in the fourth outfit they'd bought him now; a pair of black shoes, white ripped skinny jeans and a long-sleeve black button up shirt. Barbara wheeled toward him, beckoning for him to kneel down; she rolled up the sleeves and unbuttoned the top three buttons on the shirt and wheeled back to admire her handy work. Zatanna wolf whistled at him and Barbara clapped for him, while Dinah just giggled.

Dick was too busy ogling him, because _holy shit, he's looks hot._

"Turn around!" Dinah directed. Jason sighed, raking a hand through his hair as he gave them a one-eighty turn. Dick's eyes went straight to his ass, which he noticed, the jeans did justice to.

"Wow," was all Dick offered, earning giggles from the girls. He covered his face with his hand, blushing furiously, but Jason grinned at him wolfishly.

"Like what you see?" he purred, turning back around to give Dick a view of his ass.

"What do you think, Dickie? How do they look?" Dick threw a shirt at him, face flushed pink.

"I think you need to stop teasing me you ass," Dick replied. Jason chuckled and leaned down to press a kiss to Dick's lips.

"Alright, you still have five more outfits to try on! That one's a keeper!" Barbara called as Zatanna handed him another pair of pants and Dinah, a shirt.

* * *

The time came for the Charity Gala, hosted at Wayne Manor. Jason was rather nervous; he hadn't really been in the public eye for years, and even before he disappeared five years ago, he actively avoided it. Dick was used to it, but even to this day, he still hated it. Fortunately, for both he and Jason, he knew his way around the bizarre, and often conceited social construct that was Gotham's Elite. They were like vultures, always sizing each other up, trading gossip, looking for anything to get a leg up on each other, anything to get ahead of the game.

It was an unspoken thing among Gotham's Elite; they had a social structure all their own that was complex and difficult to navigate unless you were raised in it. And even then, it was like swimming in shark infested waters.

He wasn't kidding when he said he preferred the city's criminals to these people. And being the ward of Bruce Wayne made it that much worse. The Wayne's had been one of, if not the most, prominent families in Gotham's long history.

"You ready?" Dick asked, flashing Jason a small smile as they parked outside the manor. Jason sighed heavily, Dick giving his hand a squeeze. He wished that had helped, but it didn't.

"No, but let's get it over with," Jason said with a sigh, the two of them getting out of the car. They were both garbed in rather expensive black tuxedos with white undershirts beneath, Dick with a blue tie, and Jason with a red tie. And Kaden, who was fussing in the back, was wearing a little tuxedo of his own with a little purple tie; Dick's idea.

Jason carefully lifted the infant from the car and the two of them took a deep breath as they headed for the manor. Of course, when they arrived, they were met with a barrage of cameras and questions; the paparazzi was in full force tonight. And of course, with Dick Grayson and Jason Todd back in the public eye, and dating no less, they'd have plenty to talk about.

As they pushed their way through the crowd, being bombarded with questions especially about Kaden, Jason had to resist the urge to punch one guy in the face who'd nearly upset his son by practically jamming a camera in his face. Dick flashed him an apologetic smile and squeezed his shoulder. Fortunately, Bruce came just in time to greet them.

Bruce glanced back at them silently seeking permission to answer a few questions to sate them for a few moments, long enough for them to escape inside. They gave a nod and retreated to inside the manor, while Bruce turned to deal with the press.

"Ugh, that was dreadful," Jason muttered, bouncing Kaden in his arms to calm him down. Dick chuckled in amusement, kissing Kaden's head and taking him from Jason's arms, trying his luck at calming the boy down.

"Well, get ready, because we're headed into the snake pit next," he muttered. Jason frowned and shook his head.

"Please, don't remind me. I tried to forget how shallow and disgusting these fucking people are," Jason muttered in reply, putting on a fake smile as he entwined his finger's with Dick's and the two of them headed inside. They met up almost immediately with Tim who was dressed likewise, and seemingly ignored them in favor of saying hello to Kaden.

"Hey, Timmy, we're here too," Jason said with a teasing smirk. Tim laughed and patted Kaden on the head.

"Sorry. How're you guys doing? Never mind, stupid question," he answered, gesturing for them to follow him. And they did, joining Tim with Damian over near the back of the room, passing by dozens of people who were staring at the couple.

Both Dick and Jason caught a couple of their whispers and stares. Jason was uncomfortable with how people were staring at them, as if they were prize-winning hogs. Worse than that, was some of them, mostly women, would occasionally try flirting with Dick, even a few men. There was plenty of touching, for both of them, and it steadily grew more and more uncomfortable as the night went on.

They were both attractive, there was no denying it, and plenty of these people would have given anything to 'bag a Wayne' as it were. So both Jason and Dick took some small satisfaction in denying them that. Then came the old ladies and their fake smiles as they came to see little Kaden. And none of them missed the brief looks of disdain on their faces when Jason mentioned that the mother wasn't in the picture.

They'd even caught a few nasty comments about it. Bruce seemed to feel their pain, and although he was surrounded by women, they could see he felt sorry for them. But this would, hopefully, put an end to the harassment by the press quickly. Or at least more quickly than if they kept trying to duck them.

"Dick, Jason, how're you two doing?" Bruce asked as he parted from the woman he was just with. He wrapped his arms around both their shoulders and led them off, away from the crowds while Tim took little Kaden out of the room. The noise had overwhelmed the poor kid, though Jason suspected it was also the people. They tended to have that effect on anyone with a soul.

"We're alright. For now. I'd almost forgotten how awful these things are" Jason growled angrily. Dick huffed in annoyance, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, so honestly, not so great. It's kinda getting on my nerves too," Dick admitted.

"I'm sorry boys, but I figured this would be the best and quickest way-"

"It's fine," Jason interrupted, raising a hand to stop him. He sighed and raked a hand through his hair.

"I think we're going to leave soon anyway. Seems a little overwhelming for Kaden, and I don't want to end up on the front page for assault," Jason muttered, earning an amused grin from Bruce. The man patted his back soothingly.

"Alright, I understand," he turned to head back inside and then asked "why not stay for a dance? That should give them, the paparazzi, everyone enough to leave you alone for a while." Dick and Jason blushed a little and exchanged glances. They'd danced before, especially at these things, but together? Never.

"Uh, sure," Jason answered, watching as the man retreated. He turned to Dick and asked "so uh...a dance, huh? You up for that?"

"Are you kidding? I'd love that! But, one dance, and then we leave, okay? I swear, if another guy grabs your ass like that again, I'll have to end them." Jason laughed in amusement, pressing a kiss to Dick's lips.

"And I won't get in your way, promise," he answered, leading Dick back out into the main room. When the dancing started, the two of them chose a rather secluded spot, still a part of the main room, but separated from most of the other dancers. Jason wrapped an arm around Dick's waist, the other settling around his shoulders, Dick doing likewise and the two of them more or less swaying back and forth to the gentle music.

"Shit, I don't think I've even seen so many reporters before," Jason murmured. Dick chuckled in amusement.

"You face down killers and drug dealers, but a few cameras make you nervous?" Dick teased. Jason frowned at him.

"Better not let the gangs get wind of that. Give 'em a few cameras and you'll be at their mercy," he whispered with a mischievous smirk on his face. Jason snorted and rolled his eyes.

"You're such an pain in the ass. What did I ever seen in you?" he replied amusedly. Dick snickered and leaned his head against Jason's shoulder.

"Oh, y'know, my winning personality and probably my ass," Dick replied teasingly. Jason snorted into his hair and when the music came to an end, hsi tiled Dick's head up to press a chaste kiss to his lips. Dick smiled into the kiss as a round of applause and the sound of cameras going off sounded behind them.

"Now, let's get out of here before I kill someone," Jason mused. Dick laughed and led the man off the dance floor and over toward Bruce.

"Thanks for this, but we're heading out," Dick said smoothly. Bruce smiled up at them and turned to the two women on either side of them.

"Excuse me ladies," he said, pushing himself up and out of his chair. He patted both of them on the back and gave a nod.

"Very well, I understand. With a little luck, this should sate the press for a while at least, and honestly? It was good to have you boys here tonight. And don't worry about Kaden's papers, I'm already working on it. Do you have a date set for his birthday?" Bruce asked. Jason and Dick glanced at each other.

"February tenth," Jason offered. Bruce gave a nod, clapping them both on the back a final time before making his retreat. Dick and Jason went searching for Tim and Damian and found them both in one of the living rooms, sitting with Kaden, Damian more or less ignoring them and Tim playing happily with the baby.

"Alright little man, you ready to go?" Jason asked, kneeling in front of Kaden.

"Dada!" Kaden called with a little giggle as Jason scooped him up in his arms.

"Thanks for looking after him. Catch you later Timbo," Jason said nonchalantly, bringing Tim into a one-armed hug, followed by Dick, who then moved over to Damian.

"Damian," he said with a smirk on.

"Ugh, no, Grayson," Damian muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Damian," Dick said again, arms open. Damian huffed in annoyance.

"Fine, if it'll make you go away," he said flatly, letting Dick hug him. He pushed away and then shooed him off, Dick laughing in amusement before he entwined his fingers with Jason's.

"Hey, I'm coming over tomorrow to hang with my nephew!" Tim called after them.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

So it was finally here; Kaden's first birthday, February tenth. Jason was dressing his son to take him to the manor with Dick to celebrate his birthday. Dick came out of the bedroom dressed in a pair of jeans and a blue hoodie and Jason, for his part, was dressed as per the norm in his usually trashy jeans, black shirt, boots and jacket.

"Wow, really? And you call me a nerd," Dick teased, coming to stand beside him. Jason chuckled in amusement, having dressed in son in a little Batman T-shirt, a pair of jeans and a winter coat with a little blue beanie.

"You think that's nerdy? What about that Halloween costume, huh?" Dick snickered at him and pressed a kiss to Jason's jaw and once they were ready, they headed down to the car. Kaden had gotten fussy about being carried; now that the kid could walk, he wanted to walk everywhere. Of course, both Jason and Dick had silently wished he hadn't learned had to walk; the little boy was always getting into things he shouldn't.

"Shit, a year old already," Jason said allowed with a grin on his face as he pulled the car door shut, starting the car and pulling away from the building. He glanced in the rear view mirror at Kaden who giggled happily.

"You need to stop growing little man," he called back to him. Dick snickered and playfully slapped Jason's arm.

"You're adorable you know, playing Mr. Mom," Dick teased. Jason snorted.

"Okay, let's get something straight here, I'm daddy and _you're_ mommy!"

"Like hell," Dick replied with a laugh.

When they arrived at the manor ten minutes later, Alfred appeared to be waiting for them. They hopped out of the car and Jason pulled Kaden from the car seatm but began to squirm in his arms and started whining.

"Okay, okay, relax little man," Jason chuckled, setting the boy down. He grabbed Kaden's hand and Dick grabbed his other hand and the three of them headed inside, slowly, with Kaden between them.

"Hey Alf," Jason called, flashing a smile.

"Good afternoon Master Jason, Master Dick," Alfred greeted "and you too, young sir." Kaden giggled at the man as they headed inside the manor.

"Hmm, seems we're fashionably late," Dick observed, seeing Barbara, Zatanna, Dinah, Ollie, Roy and Lian all here already. Tim came into the room moments later, smiling widely when he caught sight of Kaden. Kaden saw him to and giggled happily, letting go of Dick and Jason's hands and slowly wobbling toward him, everyone watching in amusement. Kaden giggled and wrapped his arms around Tim's leg.

"Wow, little guy's growing up fast, huh?" Roy observed, setting Lian down.

"Right this way," Alfred called, gesturing for them to follow. And so they all followed the older butler into the dining room where supper was already waiting on the table. Jason quirked an eyebrow.

"Little much for a one year old's birthday party isn't it?" Dick snickered in amusement because frankly, Jason was right. But Bruce was trying so, that was something. He had never raised any infants before, so it was the thought that counted.

"I did try to tell you to keep it simple, Master Bruce," Alfred advised. Bruce shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Thank you...Alfred," Bruce muttered sitting down at the table to everyone's laughter.

"Don't worry about it, Bruce, Kaden won't remember anyway," Zatanna offered with a smile. Bruce snorted.

"But I will."

"It's the thought that counts," Dinah offered.

Once everyone finished their meal, Alfred rolled out the cake; a chocolate cake with a single red candle, shaped like a helmet. Everyone glanced over at Dick.

"What? I though it'd be cute!" he offered earning a round of laughs. And it was absolutely adorable to watch Kaden eat his cake, getting it pretty much everywhere except in his mouth. On his face, all over his tray, on his clothes.

"Woah there buddy, you're making quite a mess, huh?" Jason offered with a smile as the infant swing his little fork, giggling happily, a piece of chocolate cake flying off the fork and landing on the table.

"Oh, I see a photo opportunity!" Barbara giggled, pulling out her phone and snapping a few pictures. Dick laughed out loud as he pulled his own phone out of his pocket.

"Oh, oh, speaking of photos, check these out!" Dick cackled, sending pictures to everyone's phone, even Jason's they all looked at them and the room descended into a group "aaaaw", mostly from the girls. Arsenal grinned over at Jason, whose face had been tinted pink, and Oliver just chuckled in amusement as he flipped through the pictures. Tim was joining in on the 'awwws' with the girls, and Damian didn't seem to care either way.

The first picture was the one Dick took the first night they had had Kaden. The next one was a picture of Jason sitting on the floor playing with some blocks with Kaden. Another one was Jason kneeling in front of a bathtub, sleeves rolled up actually playing in the water with Kaden while washing him. And the last one was a picture of Jason passed out on the couch with Kaden curled up on his chest, sucking his thumb, one of Jason's arms draped over the baby's back.

"Oh, you're the most adorable father ever!" Zatanna cooed. Roy laughed.

"Yeah, and what about me?"

"Oh Roy, you've had enough attention! It's Jason's turn!" Barbara teased. And then it was gift time, so they all shuffled into the living room and Kaden was sure to be spoiled today, Ollie was first, handing Kaden a rectangular box. Kaden giggled and swung the little box around a few times before Dick laughed and sat down on the floor behind him.

"Go ahead, open it," Dick said to him, tugging at the paper. Kaden watched him, watched as the paper ripped and let out a shrill laugh. He started doing it himself and revealed a little toy batmobile. Kaden squealed and started pushing the little car around. Bruce glanced over at Ollie and quirked an eyebrow. The man grinned at him and shrugged his shoulders.

"Looks like you're not the only nerd here, Dickie-Bird," Jason teased. Next, was Barbara who handed Dick another rectangular box. He helped Kaden open it and, to his surprise, it was a Nightwing onsie.

"Guilty, I'm a nerd too!" Barbara called with a giggle. And on the gifts went; Zatanna had gotten him a blue glow-in-the-dark star wand, Roy bought him a Rescue Bot, and Dinah got him a 16 pack of washable crayons. The presents only got bigger from there; Tim brought in a little basketball hoop and a ball for him, then it was Bruce's turn, and the man had a devil's grin on his face, beckoning for Tim to come help him. When they returned, it was with a rather large, wrapped box.

"Oh, what is it Kade?" Dick asked at the giggling baby. Helping him to unwrap it, they revealed a little ride-on train with a circular track for it.

"Wow, this kid is going to be spoiled rotten, isn't he?" Jason said with a laugh. Everyone else laughed too, seeing the pile of toys behind them building up. They added Jason's next which turned out to be a little blue bike; he wouldn't be able to use it for awhile yet though. And Dick apparently got him a whole set of superhero t-shirts; Batman, Superman, Nightwing, Green Arrow, Arsenal, The Flash, a Red Robin T-shirt (the design of which basically looked like Tim's Red Robin tunic), a Green Lantern T-shirt, and of course, A Red Hood t-shirt, with Jason's red bat symbol on it.

Jason pretended to cough and said "nerd" and earned a swat on his leg for it from Dick.

"Here," Damian said in his usual monotone, handing a box to Jason. The kid then sank back down on the couch and Jason grinned at him.

"Stop grinning at me like an oaf and open it," Damian snapped. Jason chuckled in amusement and slid onto the floor behind Dick, presenting the box to Kaden. Kaden giggled and with Dick's help, opened the box to reveal...

"A utility belt?" Jason asked, glancing up at Damien with a quirked eyebrow. It was a rather nice looking belt too, black leather with several, detachable pouches, with holsters even; Damian seemed to think Jason would even let him _consider_ touching a gun. But it was the thought that counted right? Damian started out loathing Kaden, but now, here he was, seemingly making an _effort_ to be nice and having even gotten him a gift.

"You should begin his training when he can walk better. Assuming he'll be joining you on the field someday," Damian said casually, waving his hand dismissively. Jason wanted to tease him, but for once, decided to let him be; he didn't exactly want to fight on his son's birthday.

"Sure thing kid, thanks. I knew you had a heart in that black abyss somewhere," he couldn't resist saying with a smug smirk on his face. Damian just shot him a glare and crossed his arms over his chest, opting to ignore the comment.

After spending another hour watching some video footage Jason, Dick, and even Alfred managed to capture, it was time to leave. Everyone said their good-byes, and with Alfred's help, they loaded some of Kaden's toys in the car, opting to leave the larger toys here for him to play with when he came for a visit, or to stay over.

"Well, that was fun," Dick said with a chuckle of amusement, driving away from the manor. Jason sighed deeply, raking his hands through his hair.

"Definitely entertaining. Nice to see Damian's opening up to Kaden though," Jason replied. Dick hummed in agreement and glanced at Kaden from the rearview mirror, who was giggled and happily waving his little blue star wand around.

"Shame he won't remember it though," Dick said with a twinge of egret in his voice. Jason laughed at him and patted him on the back.

"Aw, don't worry Dickie-Bird, at least we'll remember," Jason offered. Dick smiled over at him, pressing a kiss to his lips as they stopped at a red light. Then the heard it; the sound of tires squealing. They looked toward the source and saw a black van flying toward them.

"Shit, pull out of the way! Out of the way! Go, go, go!" Jason shouted, grabbing the wheel while Dick slammed on the gas, but they were too late; the van rammed into them and kept pushing the car until it slammed into a light pole, Jason's head smacking against the car door, colors exploding before his eyes. Dick's head crashed against the steering wheel, dazing him.

"Ungh...shit..." Dick murmured, glancing over at an unconscious Jason. He heard Kaden crying and quickly looked back, breathing a sigh of relief to see the boy was okay, but before he could register anything else, a bunch of men with black ski masks swarmed the car and yanked him out.

"Hey, let go-"Dick shouted, struggling against the men. One of them reached in the backseat for Kaden and Dick saw red; he headbutted one of the men holding him and lurched toward the man holding Kaden, but something collided with the back of his head and he went unconscious.

Jason started to come to, and the first thing he saw was Dick and Kaden being carried off to the back of the van.

"No...Kaden...Dick," he murmured, crawling out of the car, his head killing him. He cvaught part of what they were saying, however; they didn't seem to know he was conscious.

"Don't worry about the kid! We'll have the Bruce boy watch him! Wayne will pay a fortune to get them back," one of the men barked at another. Jason growled as he practically fell out of the driver's seat and onto the ground below.

"What about him?" one of the men asked, gesturing toward Jason.

"Forget him, we only need one. Now get in the damn van and let's go!" the other man snapped, shoving him to the van. The man cursed and the last two hopped into the van peeling off and disappearing into the distance. Blood ran down Jason's face as he reached a hand out toward the van.

"Shit...no," he murmured before passing out cold...


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Dick groaned as he began to come to, his first sight of dark grey stone walls all around him. The next thing he became aware of, was crying. _Kaden!_ He jolted up, ignoring his pounding headache and saw Kaden across the room in a corner, still in his car seat, crying. Dick scurried to his feet and shuffled toward Kaden, pulling him from his car seat and rocking him in his arms.

"Sssh, everything's gonna be alright Kaden," he whispered, kissing the baby boy's head. In truth, he didn't even know where he was. He remembered what happened; the crash, the thugs in ski masks, watching as they took Kaden, and then nothing. What did they intend for them? Were they going to die here? Tortured for information? He didn't know, and Kaden was still crying. The poor boy was terrified and rightfully so. And...also hungry, he guessed, It had been a number of hours since they'd left supper back at the manor. Or at least it was when they left. He wasn't sure how long he'd been unconscious.

"Shit, this is a mess," he muttered to himself, sitting cross legged on the floor with Kaden in his lap, desperately trying to calm the crying child. The door opened and he jumped to his feet, cradling Kaden protectively in his arms, eye narrowing as three heavily armed men entered the the room, one of them with food.

"Finally awake, huh? Good," said one of the men, all still wearing ski masks. The man with the tray of food set it on the floor and slid it toward them.

"For the kid. Don't want the little bastard dying before we get paid," said another, eliciting cruel laughs from the other two.

"What the fuck is going on?" Dick growled. One of the men took a threatening step forward and Dick immediately remembered he had Kaden with him; he couldn't mouth off like he normally would in these situations. He could take care of himself, but Kaden couldn't. They could hurt him to get back at him.

"You're our pay check. You'll go home once Wayne pays us off," the man said darkly.

"And if he doesn't, you and the kid get two in the head and then we send the footage to daddy," said another followed by a round of sadistic laughs as the men left the room. Dick cursed mentally and sunk down to the floor with a defeated sigh. Kaden had cried himself to sleep, so thank god for small mercies. If he hadn't had Kaden with him, he could have gotten out of here unharmed long ago, but he didn't want to risk putting Kaden in danger. All he could do was wait; the poor fucks had no idea that Bruce Wayne was Batman...

* * *

Bruce wasted no time in getting down to Gotham General to check on Jason. The hospital called almost as soon as he was admitted but when asked about Dick or Kaden, they said that Jason was alone. That bothered Bruce, so he rushed down as fast as he could. He came to Jason's room just in time to see him ripping out IV tubes, fighting with the doctor to stay in bed.

"No, I'm not staying here! I have to help them," Jason snarled at the doctor. Bruce was at Jason's side moments later and pushed him back onto the bed.

"Let me handle this doctor," Bruce said coolly, flashing the doctor a smile. The doctor huffed and left the room. Jason didn't relax, however, his entire body tense, like he was about to jump up and book it out of there.

"They took them! Bruce, they took Dick and Kaden! We need to do something! Now!" Jason said in a tone that sounded both panicked and angry.

"Who took them? Jason what's going on?" Bruce asked, grabbing a chair and sitting by his bedside. Jason was silent, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to recall the accident, explaining what had happened in as much detail as he could remember.

"They intend to extort money out of you, but I intent to smear their blood all over the walls. Now get me out of here," Jason growled. Bruce was silent for a moment and then he rose to his feet.

"I think you should stay here and recover. Let me handle this," Bruce said evenly. He went to leave but felt his arm gripped tightly and looked back to Jaosn, who'd locked his eyes with his own.

"Dad..." he said softly. Bruce was a bit taken aback by the term; Jason rarely ever called him that, but he remained silently, and listened patiently when his son continued "they took Dick...they took my son. You _can't_ leave me out of this. I _have_ to go with you." Bruce sighed deeply, raking a hand through his hair.

He looked around the room to see if anyone was nearby, listening, then leaned in close and said in a low tone "alright, but we do things _my_ way, and that means _no killing._ Understood?" Jason nodded eagerly and hopped out of bed, pulling his jeans back on and discarding the gown, pulling his blood shirt and jacket back on.

"I won't kill, I promise," Jason said with a wicked grin, and with a shrug of his shoulders he said "I'll only maim, or seriously injure."

* * *

Alfred and Damian were made aware of the situation as soon as Bruce and Jason returned to the manor to gear up and head out. Damian wanted to join them, but Bruce asked him to stay behind and put his talent for mimicry to good use so no one would suspect anything. When they got down to the batcave, Bruce surprised Jason.

"Don't use that," Bruce called over his shoulder, donning his cowl. Jason quirked an eyebrow at the man, who strode past him to one of the gear closets.

"I was going to wait and give it to you as a gift, but...now's as good a time as any," the man said evenly, opening it up and revealing a whole new outfit. It seemed to be a combination of his different uniforms; a brown, sleeveless hoodie with a red hood (similar to how he first started out) and a red bat symbol on the front, with a brand new, blood red mask, a black Kevlar top and gloves with gray gauntlets, dark paramilitary pants with black holsters on either side, and gray boots.

Along with it came a black utility belt with a dozen pouches. To top it all off, there were a few daggers, an assortment of shurikens, and a pair of black Jericho 941 hand guns. Jason also noted the assortment of non-lethal ammunition including plastic, wax, electric and rubber bullets.

"Well shit," Jason muttered, eyeing the equipment with a slack-jawed expression. He was rather impressed and got to gearing up. He picked up the guns, looking over them carefully before opting to load them with the electric bullets for this mission.

"Thought you hate guns?" Jason asked, holstering the weapons. Bruce turned to him and gave him the famous batglare.

"I do. But you use them, so I had them custom made for you. I don't like the idea of you killing, and I'm glad you're showing more restraint-" Jason rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah, save the mushy father-son stuff for later. We have family to save and some heads to knock together," Jason said evenly. Bruce flashed a smirk and the two of them headed for the batmobile.

* * *

Dick had Kaden in his arms, the baby still fast asleep, thank god. It was driving him insane to just sit here and do nothing while he waited for... _something_...to happen. He kept Kaden's safety at the forefront of his mind; if he had to, he'd lay his life down to protect him. It wasn't that hard of a choice really, but he knew it wouldn't come to that.

Suddenly, the door flew open again and Dick shot to his feet. Three men came ino the room, heavily armed, one of them with a phone. The man held the phone to Dick.

"Speak. Now," he demanded.

"Dick?" came Bruce's voice. Dick silently considered what that meant, that Bruce was still at the manor. Or was he? There were dozens of possibilities, but none of them mattered right now.

"We're okay. I;m okay, the baby's okay-" he was cut off when the man yanked the phone away.

"You have one hour. Transfer the funds, or the baby goes first," the man said with a cruel grin. Dick glared after the man as he left, silently thinking of all the ways he could kill the man if he _dared_ try to harm Kaden. The boy woke again and stared up at Dick. Dick just smiled reassuringly at him and sank down to the floor, sitting cross-legged with Kaden in his lap. _Shit, this is going to be a long day..._

* * *

Bruce and Jason split up in a remote location of Uptwon Gotham; Bruce's idea, to help Jason maintain his appearance amongst the gangs. Jason was honestly somewhat surprised, but didn't question it, as he summoned his motorcycle while Bruce sped on ahead.

"I got a lock! I've tracked the phone call to a warehouse in Downtown Gotham. East Side Park. Sending you both the address," Oracle called over their comm links.

"On my way," Batman replied, gunning the engine as he raced toward East Side Park.

"Oh and Hood," Oracle called again over the comm link "make it hurt."

The Red Hood grinned like the devil and replied "oh, I intend to. When I'm through with them, they'll _wish_ I'd killed them."

Batman arrived on the scene first. It was an abandoned warehouse with no guards on the outside. They likely assumed, incorrectly, that no one would trace them here. Amateurs most likely. Regardless, it could also be a trap, so Batman proceeded with caution. He grappled up to the roof of the building, soundlessly avoided the guards on the ground level and slid in through the sun roof, looking down at the thugs below; there were a dozen of them, heavily armed. So they were dumb, but well armed, thugs. Good to know. Of course the sound of gunfire outside signaled the Red Hood's arrival, just as planned. It drew the attention of the thugs below, their leader barking orders for six of his men to go check it out, Then two others to go secure the prisoner. Once the other six had left to check the disturbance, Batman made his move.

He dropped down on top of the two ordered to where Dick was being kept and banged their heads together, then quickly threw smoke bombs in the direction of the other thugs. They drew their guns and fired off several rounds which Batman easily avoided. One by one, he disabled the mean, leaving only the leader who was wearing a rebreather and had retreated from the smoke. Clearly, he was the only one with a fraction of a brain in this operation.

The Red Hood joined him minutes later, dragging a pair of unconscious thugs behind him and laughing coldly.

"Y'know Bats, I figured you'd be here, but taking all the fun out of it? Come one!" The Red Hood called, dropping the thugs onto the floor. Batman growled at him, playing it up before he turned his attention back onto the leader. He grabbed for a radio, but the Red Hood shot at it.

"Kidnappers don't live long in my city. If it weren't for Batsy here, I'd blow your fucking braisn out right now, but I'm not in the mood to fight with him right now, so I suggest you give up, or I'll snap your neck," Red Hood said darkly. The man smirked at them but dropped his gun. Moments later, they could hear a baby crying and the sounds of footsteps. The turned on the spot to see one of the men, someone they'd missed, with a gun to Dick's back and a crying Kaden in his arms.

"Fuck," the Red Hood growled. The leader picked up the gun again and pointed it at Batman.

"Not so tough now, are you?" he taunted.

"Oh, trust me, this isn't over. You're in for one hell of a beating," Red Hood said smoothly.

"That so?" the leader taunted again, nodding toward the man holding Dick hostage.

"Waste them both. Let Wayne know that the Hood and Batman killed them," but before the man could pull the trigger, Dick quickled elbowed the man in the face. Batman turned on the spot and grabbed the gun, several rounds being fired off as they wrestled over it. He ripped the gun out of the man's hands and kicked him into a nearby wall, tossing the gun aside.

The Red Hood raced forward and pushed Dick aside (carefully of course) and pulled out his own guns, firing at the thug with electric rounds, stunning him nd knocking him out cold. He then spun on the spot, holstered his weapons and stormed toward the ring leader. Batman tried to stop him, but Red Hood shoved him out of the way, grabbed the man by the throat and choke slammed him into the concrete floor.

"Kidnapping innocent kids, huh?! Holding guns on 'em, do you feel big and tough? Huh?! How tough do you feel now, asshole?!" Red Hood growled, slamming his head into the concrete. Batman lunged forward, and put him in a Nelson head lock and pulled him away. Red Hood growled angrily, trying to break it, and managed to get a final kick in as the man sat up, sending his head crashing back down against the cement.

"Hood, that's enough!" Batman shouted. He let the man go when he stopped struggling. He turned to Batman and jabbed a finger at his chest.

"Call your GCPD. But from now on, stay out of my way," and then he stormed out of the building. Dick looked around the room, every single one of the men out cold. He glanced up to Batman, gently rocking the crying child in his arms.

"Are you okay?" Batman asked, looking over both him and the baby. Dick had a few cuts, scrapes and scratches here and there, but otherwise looked okay, and Kaden didn't have a mark on him, for which these thugs were lucky.

"Come on, let's get you home," he said, leading Dick out of the building.

* * *

Dick, Jason and Kaden returned to the manor, opting to stay there for the night at Bruce's behest. Jason had a bit of apologizing to do, of course, because he'd nearly killed that guy, despite promising not to. But Bruce was pretty easy on him; they'd taken his child after all.

Kaden's birthday started out great, but soon turned into a nightmare. If they were lucky, Kaden wouldn't remember any of it. But Jason and Dick would. Especially Jason, who was still seething, locked up in his old room, blowing of steam.

Tim had gotten wind of the incident and scolded Bruce for not telling him, while Dick went to go check on Jason. He found the man in his room, laying on the bed, jacket on the floor with only a black tank top and his jeans on, with Kaden nestled protectively in his arms, fast asleep.

"You alright?" Dick asked, moving to sit beside Jason. He placed his hand on the man's shoulder, caressing the bare skin there, Jason looked up at him, the rage in his eyes dying down when he saw Dick's face. Before the older man could react, Jason leaned up and crashed their lips together in a heated kiss. He gently wrapped an arm around Dick's waist, before parting from him to lay back down, wrapped his arms around his son again.

"Shit, I was so scared, Dickie," Jason admitted softly. Dick remained completely quiet; Jason looked so vulnerable right now, and it couldn't have been easy for him to admit that. He'd never known Jason to be scared, never seen him to fragile, so small like in this moment. So Dick just let him speak.

"I was afraid I was going to lose you both. I mean, I know it sounds stupid because you can take care of yourself, but-" Dick interrupted his rambling with a quick kiss to his lips.

"It's not stupid at all. To be honest, I was a little scared myself. I mean, normally I could've gotten outta that situation pretty easily, but with Kaden," Dick bit lips lip and looked way from Jason, eyes darting to the floor.

"It doesn't matter. We're safe now," Dick offered, flashing a smile, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to his lips. Jason smiled and kissed back, enjoying the moment. Dick sighed contently and settled onto the bed behind Jason, wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Love you," he whispered into the man's neck, pressing a kiss there and adding "love you both." Jason smiled, pressing a kiss onto Kaden's little head.

"Love you too, Dickie bird." And just like that, they settled into a gentle sleep, the three of them, together.


End file.
